


Do you believe in love at first scent, or do I need to walk by you again?

by Saasan



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha!Keith, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bottom Shiro (Voltron), Canon Universe, Everyone Is Alive, First Time, Knotting, Kolivan is a badass, Love Confessions, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Meet-Awkward, Mpreg referenced but not shown, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega!Shiro, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Tex ships it, Top Keith (Voltron), bottom!shiro, hopefully that's enough tags, matt holt is a good friend, sort of lol - Freeform, that was a tag omg, top!Keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 22:13:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19364941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saasan/pseuds/Saasan
Summary: Literally all Shiro wants is for people to let him do the job he is already performing perfectly, but no--he's an omega, and that means stereotypes and gender bullshit.  The cherry on top?  The rudest alpha he's ever met just so happens to be the godson of the Galran ambassador, and he just embarrassed the kid into jumping off a building.  At least Matt thinks it's funny.  Someone should.A meet-awkward featuring a vaguely feral Keith, baseball games no wants Kolivan to attend, and frozen peas.





	1. Part 1: Keith is Young and Awkward

Shiro loved the beauty of the desert and he loved working at the Garrison and right now, he also hated both of those things.  The Garrison housed the greatest technological advancements in the world and yet, somehow, the AC wasn't working, and Shiro would like to die.

 

It was, honest to god, cooler *outside* at the moment, so Shiro had darted out to the roof to bask in a breeze.  He only had a few minutes before he needed to get ready to greet the ambassadors, and he intended to savor every one of them by sweating as little as possible.

 

It had only been two years since Earth had first made contact with aliens, and every good impression humans could make went a long way.  If it weren't for the fact Shiro was a high ranker officer who really couldn't afford to miss the meeting, he would be burying himself in ice.  But, Shiro hadn't worked his way into his rank by succumbing to a little heat--omega pun--so this wasn't going to stop him either.  

 

Sighing as a tiny breeze washed over him, Shiro steeled himself for venturing back into the Garrison.  

 

And then he smelled it.

 

An alpha.

 

The alpha smelled of something sharp and spicy and like the crack of lightning.  They smelled like the sparks of a campfire drifting into the night sky. They smelled like the promise of adventure.  

 

Shiro had never smelled anything like it, and he turned around expecting to find a broad heap of muscles that rivaled his own.  Instead, he saw the shortest, slenderest alpha he'd ever laid eyes on. The alpha looked nearly as shocked as he did. The tiny alpha's nostrils flared once, and then he frowned.

 

"Who do you belong to?" the tiny alpha demanded.  His stance had widened and his eyes were sharp, and damn if his voice didn't reek of stubborn authority.  

 

(A very, VERY small part of Shiro wanted to say "you". ) 

 

Most of Shiro wanted to punch him in the face.

 

"I don't 'belong' to  _ anyone _ ," Shiro said, voice dripping venom.  

 

The alpha's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in shock.  

 

(That's fucking right, Shiro thought in satisfaction.  Bet you never had an omega shut you up before, you arrogant little asshat.)

 

The alpha blinked twice and then clipped his jaw shut.  He spun around and, rather than take the open door back into the Garrison, ran to the edge of the roof and  _ leapt off the fucking building. _

 

Despite the display of shockingly misogynistic behavior, Shiro didn't actually want the little alpha to commit suicide, and he rushed to the edge of the roof and peered over, terrified he was about to witness a grotesque splatter.  Instead, he watched the alpha do an impressive feat of acrobatics as he jumped and rolled to safety before darting around a corner and out of sight.  

 

Good riddance.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


"Mom!!  Mom!!! We have to call off the mission!" Keith cried. 

 

Krolia turned to watch her feral son scrambled in through the window.  She glanced at Tex and they silently and simultaneously agreed not to ask about his entrance.

 

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" she said.

 

Keith paused to gulp in several desperate lungfuls of air.  "I insulted one of their princes," he said hoarsely.

 

"Humans don't really have princes anymore, kiddo," Tex said, walking over to his son.  "What happened?"

 

"There was this, this, this  _ omega  _ and he was ALONE."

 

"Okay," Tex nodded.  "Go on."

 

"I asked where his alpha and yelled at me that he didn't have one."

 

Tex nodded again.  "And?"

 

"I ran away."

 

Tex and Krolia glanced at each other again.  They had clearly not given their son enough prepping about human customs with gender.

 

"It's fine for unmated omegas to be unaccompanied, Keith," Krolia said carefully. "I believe we already told you that."

 

Keith shook his head wildly.  "This was a PRINCE omega. He had one of the fancy uniforms.  He's IMPORTANT. How could he not be mated?! He's BEAUTIFUL."

 

"Fancy uniforms just means he's an officer," Tex said with a smile.  "Unmated omegas can be officers on Earth. It's uncommon, but it happens.  And humans don't put much importance on mating nowadays, or at least they didn't back when I lived here.  Well, not as  _ much  _ importance as they used to, anyway."

 

Keith's shoulders sagged.  "Then doesn't that make it even worse?  What I did?"

 

Krolia folded her son in a hug.  "Offending him just means you need to apologize, sweetie.  We don't need to call off the mission just for that."

 

"But I said all kinds of bad things about him in his culture, didn't I?" Keith said sadly.  "I insulted him and his worth."

 

"Maybe a little," Krolia admitted.  She looked to Tex for help. 

 

"It wasn't great," Tex said gently, "but it's not something we can't repair, okay?"

 

Keith rubbed his hand under his nose and sniffled once.  "Okay," he said, still looking miserable. "Tell me how."

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Shiro was stewing over his encounter with the rude little alpha.  He had worked hard his entire life to overcome the prejudices against his gender.  He was a lieutenant at the Galaxy Garrison, for fuck’s sake! He didn't need some snot-nosed brat trying to drag him down right before an important dinner.  Where had the little twerp even come from? Shiro didn't recognize him as one of the new cadets. Maybe he was one of the other officers' children....? There were a few officers from other Garrison locations present for the dinner, after all.

 

(Hopefully he did not end up seated next to him.   That would just be the icing on the cake.)

 

"Oi!  Earth to Shiro!" Matt said.  "What are you spacing out for?  We gotta meet the aliens in like two minutes and you're missing out on important info."

 

Shiro snapped back to attention.  "Sorry. What did I miss?"

 

Matt nearly bounced with excitement.  "Admiral Sanda just said the Galra have secondary genders, too!  Isn't that incredible? Alien biology, man. It's wild!"  

 

"Yeah, that's uh, that's pretty neat?" Shiro offered.  He'd expected Matt to be more interested in alien technologies.  

 

"But see, that's what leads into the next bit--”

 

"Are you two quite finished?" Admiral Sanda interrupted.

 

Matt and Shiro apologized immediately and marched with the others into the hall, ready to meet their guests.

 

"Are you nervous?" Matt whispered.  "You look kinda...pissed."

 

"Met a random, rude alpha earlier," Shiro whispered back.  It really wasn't a big deal, getting insulted like that. Shiro needed to get his shit together.  He wasn't about to let that kid get under his skin and ruin his first impression.

 

Matt raised his eyebrows.  "Sucks, man."

 

Before they could say more, the door at the end of the hall opened, and the Galra envoy strode in, bringing with them a flurry of foreign scents--and one awkwardly familiar one.

 

No.

 

There was no way.

 

That alpha was  _ human  _ so it couldn't be him --

 

But there, at the back of the envoy, came the tiny alpha, hidden in between a stunning Galress and a tale, human beta.  

 

"Matt," Shiro whispered in an urgent hiss.  "Why are there are  _ humans  _ with the Galra?  I thought they landed today!"

 

"See, that's crazy bit!" Matt whispered back.  "Galra are compatible with humans! A Galra crash landed on Earth a few years ago and ended up mating with a human!  That beta at the back? He's mated to the Galra next to him, and that's their half-Galra kid! Isn't that incredible?"

 

That was one word for it.

 

Shiro's mouth was dry and his profuse sweating now had little to do with the sweltering heat.

 

"I uh...I met that kid earlier," he said faintly.

 

"You did?  That's awesome," Matt whispered back.  "What's he like?"

 

Shiro watched with increasing dread as the envoy got closer.

 

“He's, uh, really rude, and an alpha, and uh...I might have yelled at him," Shiro said.  Was the room spinning or was it just him?  

 

"You  _ yelled  _ at him?" Matt gasped, a little too loud.

 

Several heads turned in their direction, but luckily the envoy was primarily still greeting other officers and their families.

 

Shiro spun to his friend and grabbed his shoulders.  "Matt, Matt you gotta hide me," Shiro said seriously.  "My presence here could torpedo the whole thing!"

 

Matt's eyes were huge.  "Surely it's not that bad," he said weakly.

 

"Matt, he leapt  _ off the roof _ after I yelled at him," Shiro said, panicking.  "It's that bad."

 

Matt stared at him in shared horror before grabbing his hand and yanking him out of the room.

 

"Everything's fine!" he yelled hysterically over his shoulder as they left.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


"Mom," Keith hissed, grabbing Krolia's arm.  "Mom, that's him!" He pointed at the gorgeous omega the end of the room.  "What do I do?!"

 

"You greet everyone politely and when we get to him, you apologize," Krolia said gently.  

 

Keith nodded, feeling faint.

 

How was he supposed to apologize in front of everyone?  Kolivan was going to  _ kill  _ him, making a big incident like this before they'd even officially been introduced to the humans!  And wouldn't that make the omega feel even more awkward? He felt sick, and the envoy was practically racing through the room.  Didn't this part normally take longer? And oh god the omega had seen him, hadn't he?! He'd just turned to his friend and they-----they were fleeing?  Oh god, he'd actually made the omega so uncomfortable that he couldn't stand to be in the same room as him.

 

Murmurs of confusion swirled through the hall as the beautiful omega and his friend dashed out.  Kolivan bowed to the admiral in deep apology and begged his regrets if they had offended the omega.

 

(NO THAT WAS ME, Keith thought wildly. ) 

 

Oh god, he had just made KOLIVAN beg.

 

Another officer--a darker skinned alpha who was missing an eye--stepped forward and assured Kolivan that the omega had simply become overheated in the weather.

 

"It's our own fault with our air conditioning being broken," he said, embarrassed.  "Nothing to worry about."

 

Kolivan nodded his understanding and expressed his hope the omega would recover soon.  

 

"Well, he's a great officer, but I suppose you take some risks with omegas, them being weaker," the officer said.  "Or at least, our human omegas are. I don't mean any offense to Galra."

 

"They have statistically higher rates of injury on the battlefield," Kolivan agreed, "but there are notable individual exceptions."

 

The officer nodded in eager, visible relief, and the incident appeared to be tied up--but not for Keith.

 

"Mom, I can't apologize to him if he's gone!  What if he tells the others the truth? Shouldn't I confess now?" Keith asked.  

 

"Kolivan already smoothed the matter over, as did the omega's fellow officers.  The matter is settled," Krolia told him.

 

Tex squeezed his son's shoulder. "It's alright, son.  They won't want to make a big deal of this, either. They'll let it all drop."

 

"But...I want to apologize," Keith said helplessly.

 

"Let it go, Keith," Krolia said gently.  "If the omega doesn't want to see you, you need to respect that."

 

Keith's shoulders sagged, but he nodded.  "Okay," he said, but he didn't feel okay at all.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


After they were all seated and had started into the meal, the omega's friend slipped back in.  It was relayed that the omega was fine and now resting. Keith didn't believe it, and it was only with great effort that he was able to clean his plate properly.  He did his best to pay attention to the rest of the evening and be polite and engaging, but he was bad at this part of diplomacy even under ideal circumstances. He'd really hoped he'd do better with humans, too.  

 

"Stop looking so glum, kid," Tex said, bumping his elbow.  "The omega's friend keeps glancing over at ya. I think he wants to talk.  Maybe he can help you apologize."

 

Keith stood up straight and immediately stared at the omega's friend.  The blonde beta waved weakly, and that was as good an invitation as any.

 

Keith made his way to the beta and bowed his head.  "I would like to apologize to your friend. I behaved very badly," he announced.

 

The beta blinked in surprise.  "I think he wants to apologize to  _ you _ , actually," he said.  

 

"The shame is entirely my own," Keith insisted.  "B-but of course the omega is free to do as he wishes," he added quickly, worried he'd tried to speak over the omega.  "So, um, can I see him?" he finished awkwardly.

 

The beta grinned.  "Yeah, I think I can arrange that.  Follow me."

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Shiro sat in the officer's lounge, bemoaning the lack of windows as he dug into a tub of ice cream.  He wondered idly if it was okay for him to be in the lounge--did he still have a job? Sanda had been giving him murder eyes when he left.  Maybe he could blame it all on being an omega, but then he'd spent so long assuring everyone that his designation didn't matter... He scooped up a fresh spoonful of ice cream and sucked on the cool treat. 

 

It was safe to say he was feeling sorry for himself.

 

There was a knock on the door (which was incredibly odd--anyone coming to the lounge should already have permission to be there) and then Matt's head poked in.

 

"You up for some company?  I have someone with me who wants to apologize."

 

Shiro instantly hid the ice cream and sat up straight.  The rude little alpha was here.

 

"Of course," he said hastily.

 

Matt opened the door and the small alpha took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and marched forward.

 

"I have gravely misunderstood your culture!  I apologize for my inexcusable rudeness and beg your forgiveness!" the alpha cried, bending in a deep bow.  "I assure you I had only the best of intentions!"

 

Shiro's temper simmered hotter.  Exactly  _ how  _ could the alpha's comments have meant good intentions?  "Did you not mean to imply that I was inappropriately in public without my alpha?" he asked, far stiffer than he meant to.

 

Behind the alpha, Matt's jaw dropped. 

 

(Yes, I know I'm an idiot for not accepting the apology immediately; please find duct tape.)

 

For his part, the little alpha looked confused.  "I mean, yes...? A little?" He licked his lips nervously.  "I did not mean to imply that an alpha would  _ own  _ you, but in my culture, it is inappropriate for an omega to be unguarded when strangers come into your territory.  If it's not by your mate, there should be family or someone from your tribe. It's disrespectful to the omega. It would mean we didn't value them if we let potential threats near them.  Is that...is not how it works here?"

 

Shiro softened.  There were some deeper implications he didn't like--it was incredibly outdated to think that omegas were incapable of looking out for themselves--but the alpha had been upset on his behalf.  He hadn't thought Shiro was a misbehaving, slutty omega, out to seduce stray alphas. He'd been righteously indignant that Shiro's "tribe" (the people he "belonged to") hadn't been there, and thus apparently insulted Shiro's worth.  It was almost (but not quite) sweet. He smiled.

 

"I misunderstood you.  Please, don't worry yourself.  There is no apology necessary, and I apologize for frightening you," he said, copying the alpha's bow.  To his surprise, the alpha looked sad and even more nervous than before.

 

"Do you...do you not accept my apology?" he asked in a small, scared voice.

 

Apparently there was another cultural element at play here.

 

"I completely accept your apology," Shiro said.  "Thank you for offering it."

 

At that the alpha sagged in visible relief.  Poor thing. Shiro felt bad for mortifying him.  He was still very young, after all. 

 

"I'm sorry if I scared you," Shiro said softly, and then his lips tugged up in a smile.  "You know you kinda scared me when you jumped off the roof. I thought you'd decided to kill yourself out of embarrassment."

 

The alpha's eyes went wide and he waved his hands furiously.  "No, no! I realized I'd insulted you and was blocking your only exit.  I just wanted you to feel safer, so I left."

 

("So I left" he says--not jumped off the fricking roof, just "left".)

 

"Well, thank you for your consideration," Shiro said, trying not to laugh.

 

The little alpha smiled brightly.  "Would it be rude to introduce myself?"

 

"That would be very polite," Shiro assured him.  He put out his hand. "Hello, my name is Takashi Shirogane, but my friends call me Shiro."

 

The alpha's eyes went wide.  He glanced around, as if he expected to see other people suddenly occupying the room--Matt had quietly laughed himself out of the lounge earlier on--and leaned forward.  "Am I supposed to scent your wrist?" he asked in a nervous whisper.

 

Shiro couldn't help smiling at that.  "No, humans hold and shake hands when we greet each other.  Put out your hand and I'll show you."

 

Keith obediently mimicked the gesture and watched in fascination as Shiro completed the handshake.

 

"My name is Keith Kogane.  It is nice to meet you, Takashi Shirogane," he said.

 

"Shiro.  You can call me Shiro."

 

Keith's eyes went wide again.  "Does that mean we're friends?" he asked, cautiously hopeful. 

 

"I'm hoping we will be, Keith," Shiro smiled, and Keith smiled back.

  
  


~*~*~

 

"You appear to have cleaned up your mess," Admiral Sanda noted dourly.  "The ambassador's son seemed quite taken with you."

 

This was baffling news to Shiro.  He thought the ambassador was the large Galra named Kolivan.  He and Keith had returned to the rest of the party and managed to have a pleasant time despite their rough start (although Shiro suspected Keith had misunderstood some things--he'd brought him a glass of ice water in great concern, apparently thinking he really had left due to the heat or at least was particularly sensitive to it).  Since things seemed to have smoothed over, Shiro had hoped he could file off quietly to bed and avoid his reprimand until the morning. No such luck.

 

"I thought the half-Galra was from the woman Krolia and the human Tex?" he asked in confusion.  He knew he was not going to derail the coming punishment, but he would like to be clear on a few things first.

 

"He is," the Admiral agreed, "but it turns out Kolivan is the boy's godfather, or something similar, and he's extremely fond of him--and by fond, I also mean protective.  He's requested you be the boy's companion for the rest of their stay."

 

Shiro tried not to grimace.  Keith was an alright kid, but he'd rather not play babysitter.  He nodded acceptance of his new position.

 

"That will be all for now," Admiral Sanda said, standing and thus dismissing him. 

 

Shiro saluted and headed for the door, eager to leave her office before she decided on a real punishment.

 

"And Shirogane--," she added, calling him briefly back.  "Don't fuck this up. Anything that boy wants, he gets, understand?"

 

"Yes ma'am," Shiro said, saluting again, and he left, wondering what the hell Keith could want.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


"I want to go to the meetings," Keith grumbled with a pouting sigh. 

 

Shiro had assumed the young alpha would want to do something that would spark his adrenaline or curiosity, but nope, the kid wanted to attend the ambassador meetings and formal events.   He couldn't imagine what the appeal was to someone younger like Keith. As for himself, this was part of his job and he desperately wanted to be there. Anytime he failed to show for regular duties meant at least one person assumed he was missing due to some inherent physical weakness from being an omega.

 

"I know the feeling," Shiro said, sighing as well.  Setting aside his career concerns, Shiro also wanted to be in the meetings for personal reasons.  He'd worked himself to the bone to become an officer and prove himself a capable pilot worthy of exploring the outer reaches of the solar system, and now space itself had come to Earth and he was playing babysitter--a role far more "suited" to an omega than a pilot, he thought grimly.

 

"It's nice of you to hang out with me, but you can to the meetings if you want to," Keith said.  "At least you're  _ allowed  _ in."

 

Something awkward must have shown on his face, because Keith looked at him and realization dawned painfully.

 

"Oh.  You're not allowed in.  They told you to stay with me, didn't they?" he said glumly.  He looked down and scuffed the floor with his shoe. "Sorry," he muttered. 

 

"Hey, it's not your fault," Shiro assured him quickly, "and I really don't mind hanging out with you.  We're friends, right?" He bumped Keith with his elbow. "It's just that Earth only recently started to join the rest of the galaxy, you know?  It's really cool to meet aliens."

 

Keith grinned up at him shyly.  "I'm an alien," he pointed out. "You can meet me."

 

Shiro laughed.  Here he was, feeling sorry for himself, when he had his own personal alien, Keith.  "You're right. I've got a cool alien friend I get to spend the day with. Come on," he said, standing up.  "I'll borrow a ship and show you around Earth. Sound fun?"

 

Keith perked up.  "Yeah! Show me Earth."

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


The Grand Canyon was not impressive, but Keith kept that to himself.  Most of Earth's physical features were not impressive, really, but they were all pretty enough.  The company was better. Shiro was gorgeous, fascinating, and smelled wonderful. Being with him made the places better (even the boring ones, like the Statue of Liberty).

 

Keith was disappointed but not surprised.  He’d been to so many planets now that very few held anything new or exciting.  He drummed his fingers on the way back, trying and failing to think of questions to ask Shiro that would make him seem interesting--it was important that Shiro to find him interesting.

 

(Didn't help that Shiro was so distracting.  He wondered if all human omegas smelled that good.)

 

"So, um, are you going to be hanging out with me tomorrow?" he asked.  Did he sound nervous? He hoped he didn't sound nervous.

 

"Yup.  I'll be with you as long as you're here.  Unless you get bored of me," Shiro teased. 

 

"I won't," Keith promised, alarmed that Shiro might think otherwise.  "You are  _ fascinating _ ," he added.  It was very important Shiro knew his worth. 

 

Shiro chuckled.  "Glad to hear it.  You're pretty fascinating yourself, Mr. Alien."

 

Keith blushed and looked out the window.  He didn't know what to say to that, other than a quiet "thank you", and he privately came to the conclusion there was no way any human smelled better than Shiro.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


They'd made it back in time to join the envoy for supper, and Shiro was tempted to make a petty comment about if he and Keith were expected to sit at "the kid's table" but held back.  Keith had waved goodbye and excitedly promised to see him the next day before skipping off to sit with his parents. Cute. 

 

All in all, it wasn't a bad day, but Shiro did wish he'd been allowed to be in the regular meetings.  Every time he wasn't taken seriously, it became a fresh hurdle to re-earn his peer's respect. He mentally put the problem aside for a later date and headed to his quarters to turn in.  Just as he got to the door, he heard Keith's voice and several approaching people.

 

"Moooom," Keith hissed, clearly trying to keep his voice down.  "I didn't mean it like that."

 

"Krolia?  Sweetheart?  You're overreacting," Tex said gently. 

 

"And how  _ should  _ I react when my only child comes back smelling of omega and asks about human courting rituals?" she said icily. 

 

"Darling, your only child was in the same shuttle all day with an adult omega.  Human adults' scents always cloak children's--I've told you this," Tex said.

 

"And the courting rituals?" Krolia said, her voice even icier than before.

 

"I'm on Earth!  I'm curious! And Dad's human so I wanted to know how you two courted!" Keith cried in desperation.  " _ Please _ don't talk to Shiro about this--he's my friend and you'll make things awkward and I don't know if he'll forgive me again!"

 

There was a short silence.  Shiro wondered if he should duck into his room and lock the door (and then maybe escape through a window.  An angry Galress protecting her child? There were better ways to die).

 

"I'll talk to him, Lia.  Go take care of Keith, okay?  I know how to talk to humans," Tex said. 

 

There was a loud sigh.  "Fine," she said. "Go talk to the  _ human _ .  Keith, come with me.  You're taking a bath."

 

Two footsteps retreated and then Tex rounded the corner, finding Shiro still frozen in place.

 

Tex grinned sheepishly.  "I take it you heard all that," he said.

 

Shiro laughed nervously and opened his door.  "Would you like to come in?" 

 

"Thank you, and sorry for the trouble.  I keep telling Krolia that humans grow faster than Galra, but he hasn't had his secondary puberty yet, and so she and Kolivan are convinced he's a child," he said, shaking his head. 

 

"I assure you Keith and I did nothing untoward," Shiro said. 

 

"I know," Tex said meaningfully, "or you and I would not be having this conversation."

 

Shiro suspected this was a man who would not hesitate to bury someone in his back forty, but rather than being afraid, Shiro found himself simmering with anger.

 

"What this is," Tex continued, now nonchalant, "is Keith's first crush, and my mate not knowing how to handle it.  It's the consequence, I think, of taking him with us on constant diplomatic missions. He's never had a school life.  Teacher crushes are common enough," he said with a shrug. "I know I had one or two in high school."

 

"And did those crushes result in your teachers being fired?  Because I can assure that Krolia's accusation will result in the loss of my job if my superiors hear it.  You've been off Earth for a long time. Have you forgotten what happens when an adult omega is suspected of seducing a child?"

 

To his credit, Tex flinched.  It was a common story in the news--an unmated omega fired, fined, or jailed for suspected inappropriate behavior, with or without substantiating evidence. 

 

"I promise I can calm Krolia down, and if the matter comes up, I will let your superiors know it is a confusion of biology.  Galra children only ever smell like themselves," he said. 

 

Shiro was slightly mollified.  Slightly. "She was yelling in the hall.  There will be gossip if nothing else." The truth of it hit Shiro in the gut as he said it.  This would be yet another hurdle for him to overcome. 

 

Some days, he really did want to give up.

 

(But  _ fuck  _ the person who told him he needed to find a mate just so he could keep the job he already performed to perfection.)

 

Tex looked pained.  "I'm sorry. I...I forgot how bad it still is here.  I'll do everything I can."

 

"Please see that you do," Shiro said, his anger deflating into hopelessness. 

 

"Are you...are you still willing to accompany Keith?  He really enjoyed today."

 

"Of course.  He's a sweet kid and did nothing wrong," Shiro said immediately. 

 

Tex thanked him and apologized again, and after he left Shiro sagged against the door.  He really, really hoped he still had a job by the end of the week.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


To Keith's infinite mortification and simultaneous gratitude, Krolia apologized the next morning.  Publicly. At breakfast.

 

"I apologize for my rude assumption and for not speaking to you in private.  I was not mindful of the fact that human children absorb human adult scent," she announced, bent at the waist. 

 

(Keith knew damn well he absorbed his father's scent, so this was pretty much a lie in his mind.  But, maybe his mother really hadn't considered that a non-family member would work the same way. Maybe she was just that protective.)

 

"Your apology is accepted and I thank you for it," Shiro said smoothly.  "I promise you that your son is safe in my company."

 

Krolia nodded, completely satisfied and entirely unembarrassed, and returned to the melted puddle that was her son. 

 

"See?  I told you he wasn't mad at you," Tex whispered. 

 

Keith could only stare at his plate, too embarrassed to even look in Shiro's direction until the meal finished and he was left to his friend's care.

 

Once they were alone, Keith hurriedly mumbled his own apologies, trying not to cry.

 

"I apologize for embarrassing you and maybe hurting your career and making my mom say all those things and--"

 

"Hey, hey," Shiro interrupted gently, putting his hands on Keith's arms.  "It's okay. Your apologies are accepted. You did nothing wrong, okay? You were curious and asked a question.  Everything was biology and your mom being worried because she loves you."

 

Keith braved a glance up and saw nothing in Shiro's face but acceptance.

 

"Do you want a hug?" Shiro offered.

 

Keith went instantly into the embrace and snuffled against the omega's broad chest.  He smelled like clear skies and fresh grass and everything good and kind. He smelled like soft sunlight and warm blankets and little jokes between old friends. 

 

"Feeling better?" Shiro asked.

 

"Yeah," Keith mumbled.  He pulled back. "Still friends?" he asked.

 

"Definitely still friends," Shiro promised.  "Now, what would you like to do today?"

 

Keith straightened up.  "Please tell me about omegas so I don't get you in trouble again. Unless telling me would get you in trouble," he added hastily.

 

Shiro's eyes sparkled with held back laughter.  "Sounds good. I'll tell you about Earth omegas."

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Shiro loved teaching.  He also considered it his moral obligation to be as unbiased and objective as possible while teaching, and that brought him to an immediate dilemma: how the hell could he possibly be unbiased about  _ this  _ while teaching to a completely blank who was so eager to take his side in everything?  After his third time prefacing a statement "Now, this is from the point of view of an omega", Keith had had enough.

 

"I know you're an omega, Shiro," he said.  "Just tell me what it's been like for YOU living here."

 

And that was much easier--surprisingly easy, actually.  Shiro found himself telling Keith intimate details of the struggles he'd dealt with since childhood, sharing the deep sense of shame that had plagued him for years. 

 

"It doesn't help that I'm huge," Shiro sighed.  "I'm one of the biggest human omegas currently alive, and people who meet me think I've been taking steroids to make myself this way.  It's like they think I've been trying to trick people into believing I'm not an omega or something. If only it were that easy," he said, shaking his head. 

 

"Why would people care if you're big?" Keith asked, cocking his head. 

 

"Human omegas are supposed to be small and beautiful," Shiro answered with a wry smile.  "I don't fit the bill."

 

"Being big doesn't make you less beautiful," Keith countered. There was a faint blush on his cheeks, and Shiro remembered Tex's comment that he was Keith's first crush.  He was touched. 

 

"Just the way people think, I guess," Shiro shrugged.  It was the way he’d thought, at least, but it no longer bothered him that he didn't look like an omega.  He'd never acted like one, and he'd never  _ wanted  _ to act like one.  The only reason his appearance frustrated him was that he got judged by it.  It was refreshing to meet an alpha who didn't care that he was large--and it was pretty damn telling that it took an alpha not raised on Earth to get past the prejudices of appearances.

 

"People are stupid," Keith concluded.

 

Shiro had to agree.

 

"But I get it," Keith sighed.  "Everyone thinks it's weird I'm so small."

 

Shiro felt a pang of guilt.  He hadn't been able to stop thinking of Keith as "the tiny alpha" since the moment they'd met. 

 

"That might change when you have your secondary puberty," Shiro pointed out.  And that was another pinch of guilt, because Shiro had felt a sliver of attraction when he'd first scented Keith, and he'd been smelling a  _ child _ .  Now that he'd spent time with him, however, he could identifier the softer notes of childhood in his scent, and that initial spark had not been repeated.  But, there was something about that spoke of rapidly approaching adulthood, and if he were to guess, Shiro would wager Keith was due to start his next stage of puberty very soon. 

 

"I hope so," Keith said glumly.  "Maybe then Kolivan and my mom and everyone will stop treating me like I'm a kit.  My dad's the only one who understands I'm not a baby."

 

"Galra mature more slowly, don't they?" Shiro asked.  "And you are pretty small. I take it they're seeing your Galra body but not your human heart?"

 

"Something like that," Keith nodded, "but I'm small for a Galra, period."

 

"You  _ are  _ half-human, you know," Shiro said, nudging him with his elbow.  "You're not small for a human of your age." He paused. "Actually, I don't know how old you are."

 

"18 in Earth years."

 

Oh.  That was...about three years older than Shiro had expected.  He felt a tiny, tiny bit less guilty about his initial reaction to Keith's scent.

 

"In that case you are a little small for a human, maybe, but not for one who hasn't had secondary puberty, and your Galra side probably slowed that down.  Also, I'm not just big for an omega--I'm big for a human, period, in case that helps with your sense of size."

 

"It does a little," Keith admitted. 

 

"Well, I think we've made ourselves depressed enough for now," Shiro smiled.  "How do you about hovercycle racing?"

 

The smile on Keith's face said it all.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Racing became a staple of their day.  Shiro continued to show Keith various places around Earth and soon hit upon the idea of zoos.  Keith was completely won over by hippos, which was surprising but somehow fit. Shiro had never known of a person to like hippos, but then he'd never met anyone like Keith, either. 

 

In the evenings, Shiro found himself invariably invited back to the Kogane's private quarters.  Krolia still had her hackles raised, but she warmed to him (slightly). Tex, for his part, seemed to genuinely enjoy Shiro's company, and they traded Earth news for "Space 101 Tips".  The whole thing began to feel significantly more like a vacation than a work assignment, and Shiro knew he was going to miss Keith when the Galra left.

 

He was going to miss him a lot.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


“Are we going to be coming back to Earth again?" Keith asked his parents the night before they were scheduled to leave.

 

"In a few decapheobs," Krolia said.  "The humans are making many advancements your godfather will want to keep an eye on."

 

"How many decapheobs, do you think?" Keith asked, chewing his lip.

 

"Within five, I expect," Krolia said.

 

Keith tried not to look as crestfallen as he felt, and he had to blink forcefully several times to keep back the moisture threatening to leave his eyes.  His mother and father both had him in a sympathetic hug before any tears could fall.

 

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Krolia said gently. 

 

"I'm proud of you for making a friend," Tex said, "and I'm really glad you connected to Earth.  I know it's not your home, but you've still got history here. I'm glad it's important to you, even if that makes it hard to leave."

 

"You can always send each other messages," Krolia added.  "He's a...nice enough boy."

 

Keith indulged in a few sniffles before pulling back and wiping at his eyes.  "I need to go talk to Kolivan," he said. "It's important."

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


"I thank you again for hosting us for this past week," Kolivan said, bowing to the officers.  "I look forward to our next meeting, and I hope look forward to seeing how far Earth has progressed in its social customs." 

 

There was just even bite in his voice to suggest heavier meanings, and the officers shifted uncomfortably, Shiro included.  He really hoped they hadn't made a bad impression on the Galra after all. He'd thought things had gone well. He sought Keith's eye for clues, but his friend was staring very pointedly at the head Galran ambassador.

 

"I'm not sure I follow your meaning," Admiral Sanda said carefully. 

 

"It is not Galra custom to bring omegas with us during our first meeting with a species, and based on the current treatment of human omegas, I'm hesitant to believe it would be prudent to bring any with us on second visit."

 

The answering silence was deafening.

 

"Not that I would be worried for their physical safety," Kolivan continued calmly, "nor do I make it a practice to judge another species' way of life, but in this case, as our physiology is so similar and your species places a great deal of social emphasis on that physiology, I do not know if it would be wise to allow Galran omegas to join us.  I fear they would be disrespected, regardless of your best efforts. I shall think on the matter, and I hope you do as well."

 

Shiro stared in open shock.  This  _ had  _ to be the influence of Keith.  He looked to Keith to find his friend had sunken into himself, cheeks red in embarrassment.  He apparently hadn't expected his godfather to be quite that bold. Keith glanced at him, an apology in his face, and Shiro just smiled and shook his head.  No apology necessary. Even if it did somehow come back to bite him, it was worth it to have an entire species stand up on his behalf. 

 

"W-we shall think on it, of course," Admiral Sanda said.  She pulled herself together and returned Kolivan's bow.

 

"I am glad to hear it.  And, if I might make a suggestion--when it is not a matter of safety, it can be very beneficial to include omegas in diplomatic meetings.  I have personally observed on numerous occasions that some species respond far better to omegas than they do to alphas or even betas. The Kxoi come to mind, as do the Zortek."

 

"Thank you.  I appreciate your wisdom in this matter," Admiral Sanda replied, sounding more sure of herself, no doubt because she actually did appreciate the practical side of Kolivan's suggestion.

 

The envoy broke up after that into more informal goodbyes.  A few friendships had been formed between individual Galra and humans (Matt in particular had been popular, much to his delight).  Shiro was able to pull Keith aside for a long, tight hug.

 

"Thank you for still being my friend even though I caused you a lot of trouble," Keith mumbled.

 

"It's been my pleasure," Shiro promised, hugging him just a little tighter.  "I'm really going to miss you."

 

"Can I send you messages?" Keith asked.  "I bet we can't use any of the realtime relays, so it might take a while for them to bounce through all the communication centers to reach you, but I want...I want to stay friends and keep talking to you, even if takes weeks."

 

"I was hoping that would be okay," Shiro said, pulling back so Keith could see his smile.  "Besides, you're my only alien friend. I need to keep in touch so I can still be cool. Now, stay right here for a second.  I need to grab something." 

 

Shiro darted to the hall, picked up the wrapped present he'd hidden earlier, and brought it back to Keith.

 

"It's a gift," he smiled.  "Go ahead and open it."

 

Keith stared at him for so long, Shiro wondered if it was insulting to give gifts in Galran culture, but Keith finally took the package with shaking hands and unwrapped it.  He gasped so loudly that several heads turned to stare as Keith squeezed the present to his chest.

 

"A  _ hippo _ !!!!" he cried.  "You got me a hippo!!!!" 

 

"I ordered it from my phone while we were at the first zoo," Shiro grinned, thoroughly pleased with himself.  "I was getting worried it wouldn't arrive here in time."

 

"I  _ love  _ it!  Thank you, Shiro!  I'm gonna show my mom," Keith said, darting through the crowd, his face beaming.

 

Shiro mentally patted himself on the back, and he watched with fond eyes as Keith showed off the gift proudly.  He almost didn't notice Tex sidling up to him until the man put a hand on his shoulder.

 

"In Galran culture, a gift from one unmated person to another signifies a request to begin courting," he said in a very low voice.

 

Shiro's blood went cold.  He watched in horror as Krolia and Kolivan gave him scrutinizing, dangerous stares.  He shivered.

 

"Don't worry," Tex said in a normal voice.  "I'll cover for you." He patted Shiro's shoulder and nodded his goodbye before rejoining his mate. 

 

Keith scurried back over to Shiro, his face a textbook picture of joy.

 

"Thank you, Shiro," he said shyly.  "For the gift, and for everything."

 

Shiro managed a weak smile.  "You're welcome," he croaked. 

 

Keith took his hand.  "I won't be back for probably five years, you know, so I understand if you don't wait for me, but I'll try to grow up soon, okay?" he said.  He gave Shiro's hand a quick squeeze than rose up on his tiptoes to press the lightest possible kiss to his cheek. He blushed hard and gave a final, formal bow, before running back to his parents, presumably to hide in embarrassment at his own boldness.

 

Shiro had the distinct impression that the only reason he wasn't murdered on the spot was because Krolia and Kolivan did not wish to kill him in front of Keith (and possibly they wished to avoid an intergalactic scandal, but mostly the first thing). 

 

And that was how Takashi Shirogane accidentally proposed courtship to the rudest alpha he'd ever met.

 

 


	2. Part Two: Shiro is Horny and Awkward

It was less than 15 minutes after learning that Shiro returned Keith's feelings that Keith learned that Shiro did not, in fact, return his feelings.  He went from being overwhelmed with joy to being unbearably embarrassed and completely heartbroken. The emotional whiplash was severe, and if Keith ran to his room to hug his hippo and cry, well, that was understandable.  Krolia came in to rub his back and point out that it would have been a little gross if Shiro  _ had  _ returned his feelings (which didn't help in the slightest), and Tex took over the comforting duties from there. 

 

"Did he know what I thought he meant?" Keith asked through heavy sniffles.

 

"I told him," Tex admitted.  "It seemed fair to warn him since your mom and Kolivan wanted to kill him."

 

A fresh wave of embarrassment pulled Keith under and he buried himself deeper in his pillows. 

 

"I don't do anything but make things worse for him," he said.  "He's going to hate me."

 

"You'd never fall in love with the kind of person who would hate you for an honest mistake," Tex promised.  "He's a good man. I'm sure right now, he's feeling terrible for hurting you."

 

(Not a comforting thing to hear.)

 

"I'm not in love with him," Keith corrected, sounding suspiciously close to pouting.  "I have a crush."

 

Tex hummed.  "Those things can get awfully close," he said, "but you're probably right."

 

"I  _ like  _ him," Keith sighed.  "I like him a lot. I like him more than anyone I've ever met and he smells really, really good and he's beautiful and nice and I'm not going to see him again for five decapheobs."  A few more tears fell. 

 

"You apologized right away when you hurt him, and you did everything you could to make his life better.  You did all the right things, kiddo, it just wasn't the right timing."

 

Keith nodded.  That was fair. It hurt, but it was fair.  "I couldn't have done any better, even if I hadn't messed up at all," he said sadly. 

 

"Wish I'd been as smart as you when I was your age," Tex said.  "It's going to be okay, Keith. It's going to hurt first, but it'll be okay."

 

Keith nodded again and sniffled some more.

 

"Want to be alone for a while?"

 

"Yeah," Keith said quietly. 

 

"Alright.  I'll let you know when lunch is," Tex said, starting to get off the bed.

 

"Dad, wait," Keith said, sitting up quickly.  He pulled his father in for quick hug. "Thanks," he said.

 

"You're welcome," Tex said, giving his son a firm squeeze.  "Feel better." 

 

The door closed, and Keith burrowed back under the covers with his hippo, but this time he wasn't crying.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Shiro was summoned to Admiral Sanda's office the next day to use her private video feed and talk to Kolivan and Krolia.  He experienced two pieces of luck: Admiral Sanda was asked to leave the room and Tex was present in the feed as well.

 

"I have been informed by my mate that your culture gives parting gifts in friendship without... _ attachment _ intended," Krolia said briskly.  She and Kolivan gave him very meaningful stares.

 

"Yes, that is true," Shiro said, more than a little intimidated.  "I noticed Keith really enjoyed seeing hippos, and I thought he'd like a memento of his time on Earth.  Our time together meant a lot to me, and I wanted a way to say thank you. He treated me with far more respect than I am used to receiving from an alpha.  On a personal level, we connected as friends, and I wanted to say thank you for that as well."

 

Tex was now the one giving a meaningful look, this time to Krolia and Kolivan, who both managed to look a little cowed.

 

"Yes, he is a remarkable young man," Kolivan said. 

 

Kolivan shifted uncomfortably.  "It seems we were hasty in our judgment of you."

 

"Thank you for looking after Keith.  I know he enjoyed his time on Earth, mostly due to you," Tex added.

 

"Is he okay?  He looked so happy and, uh, I really didn't mean to let him down," Shiro said.  He suddenly wondered if they  _ had  _ corrected Keith, and oh shit that would be terrible if they didn't.  Poor kid.

 

Krolia softened noticeably.  "He's strong. He will be fine."

 

Meaning he wasn't fine now.  Dammit. 

 

"Is it alright if we message each other?  I don't want to hurt him more," Shiro said.

 

"We shall allow it," Kolivan said, nodding his approval.  "Thank you requesting our permission."

 

(And holy  _ shit  _ was Shiro grateful he'd phrased his question that way!)

 

"Let him message you first," Tex said.  "I'll let him know you still want to be his friend."

 

Of course Shiro did!  How many times did have to reassure Keith?  He wondered if the life of travelling with an ambassador had meant Keith hadn't been able to make permanent connections before.  He thought back on Keith's formal apologies. The poor kid had been trained to prepare for the worst with every social encounter.  Given the envoy's frequent encounters with potential dangers, it was a wise strategy, but it was a hard way to live, especially for a kid.

 

"Please do," Shiro said earnestly.  He really did want to be Keith's friend.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


The first message came from Keith--an apology, as expected--and Shiro eagerly sent his response, and from there it became a part of his normal routine.  As the envoy traveled, it took longer for the messages to find their way back and forth, but Shiro still got one or so a month, and it was always the highlight of his day to receive one.  Keith's frank observations opened the Universe to him. He longed more than ever to explore the stars, but at least now he had a tiny window to what was out there. Keith in turn asked him Earth questions, frequently to verify if his father was pranking him, because some of Earth's oddities were far too strange to be real (they were). 

 

In some ways, Kolivan's shaming made things worse for Shiro.  He spent even less time piloting, but that was because he was now requested for all diplomatic affairs.  He found that his opinion held more weight with the Garrison than it used to, and he no longer sensed pressure for him to retire once he "finally settled down and found a mate".  Overall, it was a noticeable improvement in his life, and he reported each development to Keith (along with his gratitude, which Keith always promised to relay to Kolivan). 

 

To his surprise, Shiro learned that Keith was potentially still four years away from his next stage of puberty.  He didn't ask Keith if his had started yet, though, that seeming both intrusive and possibly misleading (as well as the sort of question that would make Krolia kill him).  Keith reported his expanding responsibilities and tasks, though, so Shiro had to assume that either he'd had his first rut or seeing teenage humans at the Garrison had loosened the Galra's opinions.  Either way, Keith seemed happy to be treated less like a child, and that made Shiro happy by extension.

 

Shiro also exchanged occasional messages with Tex.  Tex didn't have any human family to keep in contact with, but to Shiro's amusement he had a keen interest in baseball and liked to get a feel for how various teams were doing.  Shiro promised that he'd get them tickets to a game the next time the envoy visited Earth (which he later learned from Keith had raised him significantly in Tex's estimation). 

 

Through it all, Shiro wondered if Keith's crush had disappeared.  There was never any indication of it in his messages, but then there hadn't been much indication of it when he was on Earth (other than a tendency to blush and make earnest compliments).  There was never any mention of potential boyfriends or girlfriends on Keith's part, and a small part of Shiro was sad about it. Keith deserved someone amazing. Shiro hoped he found them.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Shiro frowned as he looked at his calendar.  He was overjoyed that the Galra were going to be visiting Earth in less than three months, but dammit if that didn't put him in a bind.  He'd been planning to have his heat around then--he was already overdue--but obviously that wasn't going to be an option, and no matter how he tried to fit it, there just wasn't a way to work it in sooner.  Looked like he'd be taking  _ another  _ round of shots, which meant his heat would really suck once he did have it.  Oh well. Life just worked out that way sometimes, and there was no way he was going to miss out on Keith's next visit.  It was going on four years since he'd seen his friend. He could hardly wait.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


"Are you nervous?" Krolia asked.

 

"What makes you ask that?" Keith said, staring with concentration at the mirror.

 

"That's the fourth time you've done your braid," Krolia said kindly.  "Here, let me."

 

Keith surrendered himself to his mother's care.  Was it really only a few pheobs ago he'd messaged Shiro to let him know they were coming?  It had felt like forever at the time, and now it was as if he'd blinked and it had happened, and somehow he hadn't had time to prepare.

 

"You look handsome," Krolia assured him with a hum.  "If Shiro remains unmated, he will certainly be interested."

 

The "if" made Keith's stomach lurch uncomfortably.  It was a question he'd often wondered but never had the courage to ask.  "I thought you didn't like him," Keith said.

 

"I don't particularly dislike him," Krolia said, "but I do not think he is worthy of my son."

 

"You  _ definitely  _ dislike him," Keith said, rolling his eyes.

 

Krolia shrugged but didn't argue.

 

"I like him," Tex said from the other side of the cabin.  "He got me tickets to see the Dodgers."

 

"That's nice, dear," Krolia said as she began tying off Keith's braid.  "And is that his way of appeasing the parents of a potential mate, or is it a human gift?"

 

They all knew it was the latter, but neither Tex nor Krolia had yet to let the incident of the gift go.  Keith did not understand his parents' sense of humor.

 

"Either way, it worked," Tex said with a smile.

 

"There, all done," Krolia said to Keith, smoothing the shoulders of his robes.  "You look perfect."

 

"You're gonna knock him dead, kiddo," Tex said with a wink, joining his mate and pup in front of the mirror.  They turned to him in shocked horror and he rolled his eyes. "It's a human expression. It just means he'll be impressed.  You ready to go?"

 

Keith gulped nervously.  "As ready as I'm going to be."

 

Krolia squeezed his arm reassuringly.  "Alright, sweetheart. Let's go."

  
  


~*~*~

 

"Are you nervous~?"

 

Shiro snorted.  "Keith's my  _ friend _ , Matt.  No, I am not nervous."

 

"Who said anything about Keith?  I mean are you nervous to see the giant alphas you pissed off last time they were here, because I would be nervous if I were you," Matt grinned.  

 

(Shiro regretted ever telling Matt anything.)

 

"I regret ever telling you anything," he said, and Matt just laughed.

 

Truth be told, Shiro  _ was  _ a little nervous.  He hadn't seen Keith in almost five years, and although he felt they were very close, what if Keith didn't agree?  It was hard to gauge these things through letters, sometimes, and as pathetic it was it was to admit, Shiro didn't have a lot of experience having close friends.  Also, Matt had helpfully pointed out that since Keith was now at least 22, he would almost certainly have gone through his secondary puberty, and who knows if he could be friends with an adult alpha without it getting weird?   _ Especially  _ when you factored in Shiro's unmated status... Yeah.  There was high potential for things to get weird.

 

The shuttle from the Galra ship landed and the officers snapped to attention.  The doors opened and the Galra calmly filed out and came up the walkway, politely greeting Admiral Sanda.  Shiro heard precisely 0% of the exchange.   

 

Keith.  Keith was there, and holy fuc--

 

"Oh damn, he got hot," Matt noted.  He patted Shiro's shoulder. "RIP, dude."

 

Shiro swallowed and made a vain effort to pull himself, calling on his years of training as a diplomat.  "Alpha" was all his brain came up with. 

 

(No shit.)

 

Keith was walking closer.  He'd sprung up at least a foot and put on a healthy slab of lean muscle, and his  _ shoulders _ .  Fuck.  They were not as a broad as his father's, but they were still Very Much Worth Mentioning and they tapered to a slim waist that Shiro needed to get his thighs around yesterday.  Damn. He was getting closer, and he didn't walk so much as  _ stalk  _ forward, embodying a devastating combination of grace and power, like he was a leopard prowling his territory and Shiro was his prey.

 

"Help," he squeaked to Matt.

 

"You already used up your once-in-a-lifetime bail card last visit," Matt whispered back. 

 

"But he's got a braid," Shiro said helplessly. 

 

"Don't worry--I've got a shovel.  I'll bury you later," Matt promised. "Pretty sure Kolivan will help, too."

 

Shiro nodded dumbly, vaguely aware he should not be grateful but still somehow happy that there was a form of "help" in his future. 

 

Shiro might have greeted the other Galra.  He might not have. He was no expert on his own behavior for the last two minutes.  He was a little distracted. Sue him.

 

(Actually no, don't sue him; help him.  Please, dear god, someone help him.)

 

Keith stopped in front of him.  He smiled shyly. "Hi Shiro," he said.

 

("Alpha!" his mind cheerfully noted.)

 

"Hi," Shiro gasped.

 

("Shoulders!" his mind added brightly.)

 

"Is it alright if I hug you?" Keith asked.  He was a scant few inches shorter than Shiro--just the perfect height to still be able to peer up from under thick lashes and simultaneously kill Shiro's last functioning brain cell.

 

"Yup," Shiro said, not knowing in the slightest what the Nice, Pretty Alpha had asked (but also knowing he was very much fine with doing it).

 

Keith stepped into Shiro's arms--no, scratch that.  He *pulled* Shiro into *his* arms and snuggled himself perfectly under Shiro's chin, his nose slotted  _ exactly  _ at the crook of his neck.  Shiro twitched.

 

Warm hands on his back held him close, and it was the most natural thing in the world for Shiro to melt into the embrace and press his nose into Keith's soft, black hair and breath deep.

 

Which was.  A monumental.  Mistake.

 

Keith smelled good.  So fucking good. So fucking perfectly good.  Shiro couldn't sort the ins and outs of it, but he knew it was  _ exactly  _ every single piece of his life he had been missing, and it lit up every part of his brain with Yes Please and Thank You and ten heaping helpings of Alpha Keeps Me Safe. 

 

Keith pulled back and looked up at him, the faintest pink on his cheeks and that same shy smile on his lips.  "It's good to see you."

 

"Tall," Shiro said.

 

Keith cocked his head in confusion.  "Tall?"

 

"You are.  Tall. Than before," Shiro said.  "Taller."

 

"Yeah?" Keith asked, something hopeful in his voice.  "Is that good?"

 

"Is it?" Shiro asked helplessly.  No one seemed to know the answer, but thankfully Matt finally intervened.

 

"I'm hungry," the beta announced loudly.  "Let's eat.”

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


“I see what you mean about being knocked dead,” Krolia told Tex in a low voice.

 

Tex winked and they followed the procession in for dinner.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


“It’s not just that he’s hot,” Shiro told Matt desperately later that evening, “it’s that he’s him.”

 

Matt nodded wisely but said nothing, and Shiro tugged on his own hair as he paced.

 

“I’ve never connected with someone as quickly as I did with him, you know?  And I know for a fact he used to have a crush on me, so it’s messing with head,” Shiro said, pacing a little more rapidly.  “And he smells  _ so good _ .”

 

“Gross, but okay.”

 

“No, not sexually good,” Shiro said, lying only a  _ little  _ bit.  “He smells like, like…”  He waved his hands uselessly.

 

The answer.  He smells like the answer to a question I didn’t know I’d been asking.

 

(Shiro kept this bit to himself.)

 

“Cool,” Matt nodded.  “So, when is the bonding ceremony?”

 

“Matt.  Be serious for a moment.”

 

“I am being serious,” Matt insisted.  “Keith is a great guy, and you already know you connect, and you already know he’s attracted to you on at least a base level, and he’s super hot,  _ and  _ he’s an alien.  An ALIEN, Shiro.  You guys could go fly around in space, having babies and being all gross and lovey dovey and stuff.  It’s the dream. Chase it. Take it. Mate it.”

 

“It’s not that simple,” Shiro sighed.  “‘No courting the diplomats’ is pretty much our first rule, you know.”

 

“So?  Who gives a flying rip?  If you end up mated to Keith--which for the record, I think you will--then it’s not like it’s gonna cause an intergalactic incident.  People will be happy for you, for  _ both  _ of you.  Sanda and them just don’t want us messing things up with random pregnancies and crap like that.  Also, who cares? Go make alien babies with the hot man.”

 

Shiro gave Matt a look of pathetic distress and his friend shook his head.

 

“Look, why don’t you just play it by ear?  Spend time with him the next few days to make sure you still click and then, if you do click, tell him you’re interested.  And no trying to use Galra  _ or  _ human custom.  I think we both know that would end in disaster.  Just TELL him you’re interested.”

 

“Right, okay, right,” Shiro said, licking his lips nervously and nodding.  “Spend time, and then tell him. Okay. I can do that.”

 

Matt gave him a pitying look that clearly read “I highly doubt that you can”, and Shiro had to agree.

  
  


~*~*~   
  


 

Keith was worried.  Something was wrong with Shiro, and it wasn't just the way he’d acted when they met, either.  He smelled weird. He smelled...wrong, almost like he was sick. Keith wanted to ask his parents about it, but they kept giving each other knowing looks, like they were in on some big secret that he wasn't, and he hated that.  As worried as he was, he decided to put the matter aside and talk to Shiro himself as soon as he could (privately). Hopefully, he’d have the chance tomorrow, but now that Keith was an official diplomat, he probably wouldn’t get to be alone with Shiro like he was last time.  He sighed. Last time he’d been dying to be included in the real meetings, and now all he wanted to do was spend time racing and talking with Shiro. It just figured.  

 

But, he reminded himself sternly, the main thing was that he got to see Shiro at all.   He’d make do with the time he had, and he already knew he was going to enjoy every moment of it.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Shiro was significantly more composed the following morning, but considering his baseline from the day before, that was not a big accomplishment.  Still, he managed not to make a tremendous ass of himself at breakfast, and that was one for the win column (and at this stage, he needed to take what he could get).  Tex shouldered most of the conversation, eagerly discussing the details of attending the Dodgers game, and Shiro was grateful to follow his lead. Baseball questions he could handle (providing Tex was the one was asking--Keith asked him what it meant “to get to third base” and Shiro’s brain promptly shut down).

 

There was a bit of time in between breakfast and the scheduled events for the day, and Shiro was not surprised when Keith pulled him aside to talk.  

 

(He was also overjoyed and panicking, but no one needed to know that.)

 

“Are you okay?” Keith asked him, his voice quiet, low, and urgent.  

 

Well, wasn't that just embarrassing as fuck.  

 

“Ahaha, I mean, I know I’m being awkward, but, uh, haha, I’m fine,” Shiro babbled.

 

Keith shook his head.  “No, I mean are you sick?” he asked.  His eyes were brimming with serious, wholesome concern.

 

“Um, I don’t think so.  I don’t feel sick,” Shiro said.  

 

(In all honesty, he was pretty nauseous, but that was pure embarrassment and nothing else.)

 

“Okay,” Keith said, frowning.  “It’s just… you don’t smell like yourself.  You smell...fake. Like medications, maybe? I’m sorry.  I don’t mean to mean to pry but I’m really worried.”

 

Oh.  OH. Oh god.  Another level of embarrassment.  Excellent.

 

“That’s probably the shot I had to push my heat back,” Shiro explained, rubbing at the back of his neck.  “I was due to have it while you guys were here.”

 

Keith’s eyes sprang open.  “Humans can do that?”

 

“Yup.  Most human omegas take medications to time their heats or to have them less frequently.  It’s not a good idea to postpone them for too long, but sometimes it’s necessary.”

 

“What happens if you postpone for them too long?” Keith said, right back to his previous level of worry.

 

“Nothing serious,” Shiro promised him.  “The cramps hurt worse and the heat lasts longer, but that’s it.”

 

Keith now looked contrite instead of worried.  “Sorry about your heat. I wish we could have been here sooner.”

 

Shiro smiled.  “I wish you could’ve too, but that’s just because I missed you.  I don’t mind about the heat.”

 

Keith smiled shyly and stepped into a hug.  “I’m glad you’re not sick. I missed you, too,” he said.

 

Shiro sighed and found himself immediately relaxing, his eyes fluttering shut as the scent of Safe, Kind Alpha engulfed him.  

 

“I’m glad you’re back,” he said, tucking his nose into Keith’s hair. 

 

“It’s good to be back,” Keith said quietly.  “Let’s go racing some time, okay?”

 

“Yeah, that sounds perfect,” Shiro said.

 

They stayed that way until they had to leave for the meetings, and Shiro didn’t feel nervous or awkward at all.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


One of the first things Kolivan asked about was an update on “the omega situation” which thankfully Shiro was fully prepared to answer.  He knew the whole thing made his superior officers wildly uncomfortable (and by extension, him as well) but since he mostly had good news to report, the meeting went well.  Kolivan, however, was an expert at reading between the lines, and he outright asked why a pilot as talented as Shiro was still working as a diplomat.

 

“Is this your full-time position, or are you filling this role specifically for our meeting?” he asked.

 

“It is my primary position,” Shiro answered carefully.  “In the current stage of Earth’s developments, we need experienced diplomats more than skilled pilots.”

 

Kolivan nodded seriously.  “And are you the only omega diplomat?”

 

“I have been working to train in a few others,” Shiro said, and that prompted what  _ might  _ have been considered a hint of a smile from the stern Galra.

 

“Good,” he said.  “I believe we shall be able to bring our omegas with us on our next visit.  It will be pleasant to be able to travel with my mate.”

 

The officers all shifted uncomfortably and murmured their agreements.  Shiro saw a flicker of satisfaction in Keith’s face and couldn’t help feeling fondly proud of his alpha friend for supporting not only Shiro as an omega, but omegas as a whole.  He was lucky to have met him. He would have to let him know.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Keith was proud of himself.  He’d *tried* to master scent-relaxing before but had never managed it, despite countless varga of practice.  Most alphas could intimidate with ease, but few learned how to project calm, non-aggressive authority, and as a skill it was an absolute must for diplomats.  He’d noticed immediately that Shiro was nervous when they met again, and it just about broke his heart. Shiro’s nerves bordered on  _ panic _ , and Keith had worried that conditions had worsened for the omega and encountering an unmated alpha (which is to say, Keith himself) had made him intensely uncomfortable.  His first attempt at calming Shiro had helped a little, but not enough. Keith spent the evening focusing on projecting Calm Safety with an intensity he’d never been able to conjure before, and the next morning had successfully brought his friend back to himself.  

 

He was a little less proud (and more confused) after the morning meeting when Shiro reported that omegas were being treated better.   Apparently, Shiro wasn't alarmed by his environment, so it had to be something else.   He tried and failed to come up with a reason with Shiro had been nervous to meet him specifically (what reason could Shiro possibly have to be nervous around  _ Keith _ ?) and finally concluded it probably had to do with after effects of the shot Shiro had mentioned.

 

He was a little worried to invite Shiro to sit with him privately for lunch--would it make him nervous again?--but thankfully Shiro cheerfully agreed.

 

“It means a lot to me that you’re still trying to help omegas,” Shiro told him as they sat down.

 

Keith blushed.  “That was all Kolivan.”

 

“But you asked him to,” Shiro said.

 

How did Shiro know that?  Keith had never told him. “Did...did my dad tell you that?”

 

“No.  I just know you,” Shiro said with a soft smile.

 

Keith’s cheeks heated further.  He stabbed at his food with a little extra force.  Maybe he shouldn’t have asked to dine alone. Having Shiro’s focus and high esteem was hard to handle.  

 

(But he wanted it.  He  _ craved  _ it.)

 

“Thank you,” he mumbled.

 

“I’m trying to thank you,” Shiro pointed out with a laugh.

 

“Ah!  Um, you’re welcome,” Keith said.  Had he always been such an idiot? Probably, when it came to Shiro at least.  The moment he wasn't actively worrying about Shiro’s happiness, he could barely talk to him, apparently.  If he ever worked up the courage to ask to court him, he’d probably turn mute. Wonderful.

 

Shiro cleared his throat.  “You’re, um, you’re kind of an inspiration to me, you know,” he said.

 

Oh god.  More praise?  Keith sank in his seat and clenched his jaw.  He  _ wanted  _ it, but oh god.

 

“You heard about a situation where people needed help, and you did something about it right away, and it wasn't a situation that affected you at all.”

 

“What?” Keith said, instantly sitting up straight.  “Of course it affected me! It had to do with  _ you _ !”

 

Shiro looked about as shocked as Keith felt.  Had he seriously just said that out loud?

 

“Y-you’re my friend,” Keith hastily added.  “You’re important to me.”

 

Shiro’s shock melted into what Keith was tempted to interpret as a sappy smile.  “You’re important to me too, Keith,” he said.

 

And wasn't that everything Keith needed to hear?

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


They were able to get in a short hovercycle ride that evening and afterwards spent several hours talking, both of them completely enraptured with the other, neither brave enough to say it.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


The Dodgers game was the next day.  The majority of the Galra had been interested in attending, but Tex steered them away.  

 

“It’s a game where a ball is thrown, hit with a stick, and then someone runs in a square,” he explained.  “Might I suggest hockey or rugby?”  

 

Shiro wasn't certain if Tex just wanted to attend a game without having to constantly explain everything to Kolivan et al or if he was really looking out for the Galras’ best interest in entertainment, but he echoed the suggestion.  He could see them appreciating hockey (though perhaps disapproving of penalty boxes).

 

In the end, only Krolia, Tex, Keith, and Shiro attended, and Shiro infinitely preferred it that way.  Tex insisted on buying everyone hats, t-shirts, and ludicrous amounts of junk food.

 

“It’s not a proper game unless you’ve had nachos, hot dogs, pretzels, or cotton candy,” Tex informed Keith seriously before winking mischievously at Shiro.

 

Keith was not sold on the hot dogs, but he ate the nachos with a passion that rivaled Shiro’s, and both Krolia and Keith were fascinated with the cotton candy.  It was a perfect afternoon, and it simultaneously filled and pained Shiro’s heart. It had been years since he truly felt like he had a family, and this was definitely a family outing.  

 

Disaster struck in the 6th inning.  Shiro had been indulging in the fantasy of stretching and then draping his arm around the back of Keith’s chair (or, even better, having Keith do that to him), when it happened: the kiss cam.  

 

“Shiro!!  We’re on the screen!” Keith exclaimed, pointing excitedly.  

 

Oh.  Shit.

 

“Looks like you two need to kiss,” Tex smirked.  

 

Shiro met Krolia’s eyes, but the Galress’s face betrayed no emotion.  Around them, the crowd cheered their encouragement.

 

“Uh, haha, that’s not, uh, a  _ requirement  _ in human culture,” Shiro stammered.  “It’s just a fun little thing that--”

 

“Shiro,” Keith said firmly.  There was something that hinted of command in his tone and Shiro turned to face him instead, helpless to resist.

 

“Shiro,” Keith said, determination written in his face, “I can do this.”  He cupped his hand behind Shiro’s neck and pulled him closer.  

 

“Yeah,” Shiro said in breathless surrender.  “Yeah, you can.”

 

Keith slotted their lips together perfectly.  He pressed with gentle but firm instance and then took Shiro’s bottom lip between his own and sucked, pulling lightly before releasing and repeating.  Heat churned in Shiro’s stomach. Dimly, he heard the crowd roaring approval, but the hammering of his heart nearly drowned them. Keith’s hand on the back of his neck rubbed lower, gliding over his scent glands and making him whimper.  Keith’s tongue instantly made use of the opening, darting in and claiming his mouth. Was he kissing back? He had no idea.  

 

At last, Keith released him, and Shiro panted helplessly, eyes wide.  

 

“Keith…,” was all he could manage.

 

Keith’s pupils were wide as he licked his lips slowly.  “I think we did alright,” he said, glancing at the screen.  It was lit up with fireworks and a graphic putting the kiss-o-meter at 100% On Fire (Shiro echoed the sentiment).  Keith grinned wickedly at their “score”.  

 

“I guess they liked it, too,” he said.  

 

Shiro was choking in the scent of pleased, dominant alpha and it was he could do not to bare his neck.  

 

“Keith…,” he said again.

 

“Was...was that not okay to do?” Keith asked, worry suddenly clouding his face.  “I thought...I thought that’s what you’re supposed to do?”

 

“You did great, son,” Tex proclaimed, smacking his son proudly on the back.  “People love a good show for the kiss cam. They also love it when people get too embarrassed to do anything.  See?”

 

The camera had moved on to a new couple, leaving Shiro with a modicum of privacy in which to die.  

 

(Small mercies.)

 

Shiro’s neck glands were tingling and his stomach had yet to stop flipping and he stared at Keith, watching how his pupils stayed wide and his cheeks pink.  That meant what he thought it, didn’t it? Keith  _ liked  _ kissing him, and if Keith could kiss him like THAT, surely it meant the alpha wanted him, too.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Shiro never did answer Keith’s question, and Keith was far too embarrassed to ask again.  He was infinitely grateful to the (bizarre) human tradition of baseball kisses for the opportunity but now was wondering if he’d done it wrong.  Other couples had been allowed to refuse. Maybe he should have, too? Shiro, though… Shiro had submitted. He had  _ submitted  _ to it and Keith could scent arousal on him when he’d rubbed his glands.

 

(Fuck.  Keith could not believe he’d rubbed his glands.)

 

That HAD to mean something, right?  It meant something to Keith, and he didn’t know if he could handle it if it didn’t mean something to Shiro, too.  

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Shiro managed to wait a tactful amount of time before excusing himself to the bathroom.  Once there, he turned the faucet as far toward cold as it would go and buried his wrists in the water.  His glands felt hot.  _ All  _ of them.  A single kiss and he was tingling from head to toe, and a few of the fans in the omega bathroom guessed his quandary, one going so far as to offer him a high five.

 

“You got your alpha wrapped around your little finger, kissing you like that,” they smirked.  “Nice.”

 

“Ah, you saw the cam?” Shiro smiled weakly.

 

“Son, we  _ all  _ did,” an older omega man said, giving Shiro a friendly pat on the back.  “Made me feel ten years younger.”  

 

“If he kisses you like that on a cam, what’s he like during your heat?” a younger female asked.  

 

Heat.  During.  A heat.  

 

Shiro scooped up a handful of cool water and rubbed it over his neck and fuck--the gland was tender and warm to the touch, and the water did little help.  

 

Fuck.

 

The shot hadn’t worked after all.  

 

“He’s not my alpha,” Shiro said.  “Sorry, I gotta go.”

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Keith kept sending concerned glances his way, but Shiro kept his problem to himself.  If everything went well, the Garrison’s med unit would give him emergency suppressants.  There was no point in worrying anyone prematurely, and so Shiro gave Keith reassuring smiles when he could, which didn’t appear to help much.  

 

(It would be a lot easier if he wasn't still reeling from the kiss, but he was trying, okay?)

 

The game wrapped up--the Dodgers won--and they filed out with the happy crowd.  Keith pulled him aside for a moment, hand on his arm.

 

“Are you alright?” he asked in a whisper, eyes searching his face with near palpable concern.  “Was it not okay to kiss you?”

 

“I’m fine, Keith,” Shiro promised.  “I have a small headache, but it’s not from the kiss, okay?  Everything is fine.”

 

(Lies all around--but he did have a headache.)

 

Keith looked only marginally more relaxed, but he nodded.  “Okay, if you say so. But...if something  _ is  _ wrong, you can always tell me.  I’m your friend. I’ll listen and I’ll help you, okay?”

 

Shiro smiled helplessly.  “I know you would,” he said.  Somehow, his hand had found Keith’s, and it was hard not to tug him closer and nestle into the crook of his neck.  His pre-heat was already making him achy and a little nasuous and the perfect solution was staring up at him with gentle concern, and fuck but it was hard not to indulge in the help Keith so freely offered.  He squeezed Keith’s hand and let go.  

 

“Let’s get back to your parents before they start looking for us,” he said.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Shiro maintained his headache excuse when they returned to the Garrison to beg off from Tex’s invitation to stay for a nightcap.  He thanked them all for the best afternoon he’d had in years (a comment which made Tex and Krolia exchange knowing looks) and then stammered a clarification that it was incredibly nice to spend time with family--not  _ his  _ family, of course, but a real family setting, not that he didn’t spend time with the Holts but this had been different, and he appreciated it that they’d included him, and then thank god Krolia put a hand on his arm to stop his babbling.

 

“It was our pleasure, Shiro.  You’re welcome in our family anytime,” she said.

 

Shiro was stunned.  _ Krolia  _ welcomed him.  He didn’t know how he’d earned her approval, but it made him all the more anxious to stop his impending heat.  Armed with Keith’s parents approval, he felt much more confident in pursuing courtship with the young alpha and, god help him, he was going to do just that.

 

Providing he could stop his heat.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


It was well after midnight before Shiro made it back to his apartment, and it was all he could do to keep back the tears until after he’d closed the door.  The medic had denied his shots. It wasn't a “true emergency” and he’d already put off his heat twice. For once in his life, he’d actually  _ begged _ , but it hadn’t made a difference.  The medic had even used it as evidence that his “submissive nature was becoming forefront” and made a note in his medical record to not let him put off heats in the future.  Utterly defeated, he was sent to his apartment on heat leave. He would not be able to leave his apartment again for a minimum of five days per the medic’s instructions and the appropriate notifications were sent to his superiors before he’d even left the office.

 

Immediate, non-negotiable heat leave.  Shiro couldn’t wrap his mind around it.  Five days at home. If he was lucky enough to be cleared at the end, he’d have half a day with Keith, max, and that was dependent on if the medical clinic could schedule his appointment for the morning.  And if they didn’t? Well, he could always send Keith messages, asking about courting that way, but it would be YEARS before they’d see each other again, and Shiro could hardly blame Keith if he didn’t want to wait.

 

Fuck.  He didn’t even have heat supplies because he hadn’t planned to shop for any until later.  

 

Shiro sent Matt a text, asking him to explain the situation to Keith’s family as discreetly as possible and requested he pick up a few items at his convenience.  He then headed to bed, pulled the covers over his head, and sobbed his heartbreak and frustration into his pillow until he fell asleep.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Shiro woke up at six the next morning aching, sweating, and miserable.  Definitely in heat. He fumbled for the nearest dildo in his nightstand and shoved down his boxer briefs, getting the first few orgasms out of the way.  Head cleared, he picked up his phone to check for messages, and wow--Matt had already replied.

 

**_That sucks ass, dude._ **

**_Left some stuff outside your door._ **

**_You got this.  Good luck_ ** .

 

That was fast.  Mentally thanking his friend for his swift response, Shiro pulled on a pair of sweats and headed to his door, expecting a bag or two of groceries and maybe a thermos of soup from Mrs. Holt (that woman was a saint--he’d never had a heat since he met her where she hadn’t made sure Matt brought him something homemade to eat).  

 

He found the thermos.

 

He also found Keith, curled up in Matt’s sleeping bag, his stuffed hippo tucked under one arm, snoring softly.

  
  


 


	3. Part Three: Shiro is in Heat and Everyone is Awkward

It was somewhere south of 2:30 when the Koganes were woken by knocking on their door.  Krolia, being the oldest alpha, opened it, and she was flanked on either side by her husband and son.  They were a sleepy but wary trio, and Matt declined to be intimidated.

 

“Hey guys,” he said.  “I need to ask Keith for a favor.”

 

Krolia frowned but allowed him in.  

 

Matt shuffled into their living area and set down his load of grocery bags and sundry goods.  “Shiro went into heat,” he announced. “I was hoping you could deliver these to him.”

 

“What?  Why would he need Keith to--”

 

“I’ll do it,” Keith said immediately.

 

“Why would he need  _ Keith  _ to be the one to deliver these things to him?” Krolia continued, ignoring Keith’s interruption.  

 

“He doesn’t, exactly,” Matt admitted with a shrug.  “He texted me a bit ago saying he’d been put on heat leave, so he’s stuck at his apartment for the next five days.  He didn’t know he was going to go into heat, though, so he doesn’t have any supplies and he can’t leave to get them.  It doesn’t need to be  _ Keith  _ that delivers them, but I thought it would be a little rude to do it when I know there’s an alpha here that’s dying to court him.”

 

Everyone looked at Keith, who blushed but maintained his determined stance.  

 

“This sounds like something that can wait until morning,” Krolia said carefully.

 

“It can,” Matt agreed, “but Shiro lives alone.  He just started an unplanned heat and he doesn’t have anyone to guard him.  I figured Keith wouldn’t...like that.”

 

Keith obviously did not like that.

 

Krolia turned to Tex.  “What are the human implications of an alpha showing up uninvited to guard for a heat?”

 

“Well, an old fashioned person might call it romantic, but nowadays it’s the sort of thing that will get you arrested,” he said.

 

Krolia turned back to Keith.  “You’re not going.”

 

“It’s fine, I promise,” Matt said.  “I wouldn’t have suggested it if it wasn't.”

 

Keith looked between his parents and Matt, clearly itching to take the bags and run.  

 

“And how could it be okay?” Krolia said, crossing her arms.  “It is not acceptable in Galra culture, either, to show up to a heat uninvited.  Tex or I could go perhaps, as we are mated, but sending Keith is out of the question.”

 

“I’ll get my stuff together,” Tex said through a yawn.  “Oh good, you brought a sleeping bag.”

 

“It  _ is  _ okay, because it’s okay with those two,” Matt said, indicating Keith with a gesturing (and presumably including the absent Shiro).  “They’re kind of stupidly in love, and as far as I’m concerned, that means they get to make their own decisions about this. Plus, I know Shiro.  He’s punching walls in frustration right now because he’s not supposed to see Keith for the rest of your visit. I’d say it’s a strong case of it being  _ unhealthy  _ to keep them apart.  Also, I’m pretty sure the second you turn your back, Keith is gonna sneak over there anyway.”

 

(Keith looked guilty but unrepentant.)

 

Krolia tilted her head, considering, and then threw up her hands.  “Do what you want, Keith, but don’t enter his apartment unless he explicitly invites you in, and make sure you message us if you do.  I want to keep Kolivan aware of what’s going on.”

 

“So this means I can go back to sleep?” Tex said with a sleepy smile.  “Excellent.” He kissed Krolia on the forehead and then gave Keith a hug.  “I know you’ll do great, but message us anytime if you have questions or feel uncomfortable, okay?  Good night.”

 

Keith disappeared into his room and reemerged moments later with a stuffed hippo and a backpack.  He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and marched over to Matt.

 

“Take me to Shiro,” he said.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  
  


“I thought you didn’t like him,” Tex teased sleepily when Krolia slipped back into bed.

 

“What sort of alpha mother would I be if I approved of the first suitor who came after my son?” she snorted.  “But, he has proven himself to be hardworking and genuinely careful with Keith’s heart. He will be good to him.”

 

Tex made a happy, humming noise and slung his arm over her waist.  Krolia would be lying if she said that move didn’t melt her heart.

 

“Kolivan didn’t approve of you either, you know,” she said, hiding a smile in his hair as she kissed him.

 

“What?” Tex asked, slightly more awake.

 

“Mmhmm.  I convinced him, though.  He likes you now. Go to sleep,” she said, giving him another kiss for good measure.

 

“Love you bunches, pretty girl,” Tex mumbled, and he was asleep in moments.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


The night air was chilly, but Keith hardly noticed.  He kept pace with Matt, following him out of the Garrison’s main buildings and toward the officer’s apartments.  He remembered Shiro mentioning they’d finally agreed to move him there--initially they hadn’t wanted an unmated omega to leave the dormitories--and he’d been thrilled for him at the time, but now he just wished he lived closer.

 

“Matt?” he asked.  “Do you think Shiro is okay?  He told me he got a shot so his heat wouldn’t start, and if he’s going into heat anyway…”  He trailed off, feeling guilty.

 

“Shiro’s tough.  He’s probably fine physically, but I know for a fact he’s miserable at the thought of missing all his time with you.”

 

Keith blushed.  “What makes you sure?  Disappointed, I get, but miserable…?”

 

“Maybe you missed that part earlier where I said he’s stupidly in love with you?” Matt teased.  “Seriously, though, right from the start I knew he was going to fall for you. I could always tell when it was a ‘Keith day’ and he’d gotten one of your letters.  He was  _ so  _ much happier.  It was almost embarrassing.”

 

“Th-that doesn’t mean he’s  _ in love _ with me,” Keith said, biting his lip.

 

“He had a full on panic when you showed up looking all alpha-hot and stuff.  I had to stay up talking to him for like three hours to get him to calm down, and he was scheming on how to court you without having the Garrison kick him out ‘cause we’re not supposed to court diplomats, you know?  I probably shouldn’t be telling you all this,” Matt laughed sheepishly, “but god knows he’ll never do it. He’s  _ really  _ stupid about this kind of thing.  Just, the stupidest.”

 

Keith was trying hard not to faint.  Shiro liked him back. Shiro wanted to court him, too.  He was even willing to risk his job for him--the job he’d fought for his whole life.  Well, Keith wasn't about to let him lose it (and he also wasn't about to leave without courting him first).  One thing to clear up first, though--

 

“Is it my fault he went into heat?” he asked.  

 

“I doubt it.  You said he had a suppressant shot--it’d be hard to break that, no matter how much he liked whoever he was around,” Matt said.

 

“Yeah, but… I touched his glands when we kissed for the baseball camera,” Keith said, cringing in guilt.

 

“Oh,” Matt said, stopping briefly.  “Yeah, I guess that could do it. Why?  Do you think that would make him mad?”

 

Keith hunched his shoulders and nodded.

 

“Don’t worry about it.  If you managed to trigger his heat just by touching his glands once, it means he’s way too into you to be mad about it.”

.

“Liking me enough to go into heat and being  _ happy  _ about going into heat aren’t the same thing,” Keith pointed out sadly.

 

Matt stopped again and turned around to face him.  “See, that right there is why you’re good for him. You know there’s a difference between someone being aroused and someone being interested.  You’re gonna be fine. Just follow his lead, okay? It’s probably going to take him a while to accept that you’re not both high on hormones, so wait for him to make the move.  And that’s all the hints you’re getting,” he said with a wink. “C’mon. We’re almost there.”

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


“Keith…?” Shiro said, staring in shock at the alpha sleeping on his doorstep.  

 

Keith stirred and then shot up.  “S-sorry!” he stammered, scrambling out of his sleeping bag.  “I know I didn’t ask and I know it’s creepy to have an alpha guarding you without permission, but you don’t have a family or tribe to guard you, so…”  

 

He looked nervous and ashamed and it was all Shiro could not to kiss his fears away.

 

“It’s fine, it’s fine!” he said hurriedly.  “I’m just surprised to see you, is all. I got a text from Matt but I thought he meant he’d dropped off the stuff I asked for and left.  I didn’t realize you were here.”

 

(And here with the hippo!  That melted Shiro more than a few degrees.)

 

Keith nodded and rubbed his hands nervously before snatching up the grocery bags and offering them.  “H-here you go,” he said.

 

“Thanks,” Shiro said, taking the bags.  He hesitated. Was Keith’s sleeping bag only meant for the night, or…?  “Were you...were you planning to keep guarding me?”

 

Keith blushed bright red.  “Only if you wanted me to,” he mumbled, shoulders slumped.  “I’m not tr-trying to force you to accept me or anything.”

 

“It’s fine,” Shiro said gently, “but if you’re planning to stay, I’d rather you did do it in my apartment than on my doorstep.  Come on in,” he said, standing back and pushing his door open with his hip.

 

Keith stared in shock.  “Are you...are you  _ sure _ ?” he asked.  

 

“Yup.  Matt guarded for me once in my apartment,” he said lightly.  “It would have been weird if he’d waited outside the whole time.  Gotta use the bathroom at some point, right?”

 

Keith nodded absently, staring into Shiro’s apartment like it was a forbidden realm before snapping to attention, gathering his hippo, sleeping bag, and backpack, and darting inside.  Shiro shut the door and locked it firmly. 

 

“Thanks for bringing me these,” Shiro said, lifting a grocery bag.  “If I’d thought the shot might fail, I would have made sure to have supplies on hand.  I got caught in a bind.”

 

“They really wouldn’t let you leave even to get groceries?” Keith asked, setting his things on the couch.  

 

“Not without someone to accompany me, no.  It’s not technically illegal for an unmated omega to live alone, but let’s just say it’s strongly discouraged by things like this--not leaving your house during a heat, I mean.  The Garrison has their own policy about it. It’s not that there isn’t some good reason behind it,” Shiro said with a sigh. “On the off chance someone  _ did  _ harass me, I’d be the one ‘at fault’ for being in public while in heat.  I don’t blame them for not wanting to deal with it. Back when I was in the dorms, there were monitors who took care of that like they do for the students.  Still prefer living here, though.”

 

“It’s nice,” Keith said, looking around.  

 

“Thank you,” Shiro beamed, and he wondered if Keith realized he’d more or less complimented an omega’s nest while they were in heat and he suddenly wanted to die (just a little) of joy and smug pride.  Inappropriate. Wildly inappropriate.

 

“Let me show you around,” Shiro continued, “not that there’s much to see.”  

 

The tour was short.  The door to the apartment opened directly into the living/dining area and the kitchen was visible with a half wall in between.  There was a hall that lead to two bedrooms and a bathroom.

 

“This one is my bedroom, but I’m not going to show you that because it probably stinks of heat right now,” Shiro said, blushing a little.   _ He  _ probably stank of heat, too.  “You can use anything in the bathroom you need.  I don’t have family or anyone to visit me, so the guest room doesn’t have a bed in it, but if you want privacy you can stay in there.  Otherwise, make yourself at home.”

 

Keith poked his head in the guest room and then gave Shiro a quizzical expression.  It was full of workout equipment.  

 

“I got tired of people ogling me at the gym,” he said with a shrug.  “Too many alphas wanting to help give an omega ‘tips’ on working out, even though I obviously already know what I’m doing.”  He gestured at his general physique, making Keith snort. “I still go sometimes with Matt, but when he’s busy I just stay here.  Plus, I can work out during my heats this way. I get antsy if I sit around the whole time.”

 

“We have ‘omega only’ times for our facilities on our ship,” Keith said.  “Same for the kitchens. Most omegas just have their mates bring them things when they need it, though.”

 

“God, that sounds amazing,” Shiro said, shaking his head with a laugh.  “I hope Earth catches up to that soon. Listen, I uh, already ‘took care of things’ recently, so I was planning on making a quick breakfast and then probably watching something on TV.  Want to join me?”

 

Keith lit up.  “Is that okay? I can give you space.”

 

“It’s fine.  I should probably at least show you how to work a microwave and the stove if you’re going to hang out here.  C’mon. I’ll make us some oatmeal.”

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Watching porn during his heat was always a trial for Shiro.  He was drawn toward heat porn (crying for an alpha’s knot was, after all, extremely relatable), but the scenarios were always unbearably unrealistic.  Omega orders food because they’re tired and horny, alpha pizza boy shows up, and they instantly begin fucking (usually with a few jokes about “giving a big tip”).  Ridiculous. When not actively in a wave, omegas were  _ normal  _ during their heats.  Okay, maybe not quite normal because of the cramping and tendency to sweat and all around lack of energy, but it’s not like their base scent would send someone into an uncontrollable, lust-filled frenzy.  And yeah, omegas smelled better during their heats and they reacted more easily to other people, and some omegas became more submissive than usual, but again: no inevitable pizza boy shenanigans.

 

Which, unfortunately, meant he and Keith were both behaving like perfect gentlemen.  Oh well. The heat part of Shiro’s brain might be Full of Ideas, but mostly Shiro was just grateful he still got to spend time with Keith at all.

 

He couldn’t get over how natural it felt to have Keith there.  Despite getting along very well with Matt under normal circumstances, he’d felt awkward and vaguely uneasy the time Matt had guarded for him (not because he didn’t trust Matt, but because he was hella embarrassed that his friend was almost certainly able to hear things while he jacked off).  But with Keith? He felt comfortable and content.  

 

Shiro had gone through three waves now, each lasting close to an hour with about three hours in between.  A very typical heat, all told. He hoped it would ease off over night like it usually did--he didn’t fancy accidentally waking Keith up.  

 

They had just finished their supper of reheated soup (Mrs. Holt had indeed sent some over) and were now stretched on the couch, watching a documentary on penguins.  Keith  _ loved  _ animal documentaries, and having a happy alpha next to him during a heat was doing all kinds of calming, contented things to Shiro’s brain.  

 

(Huh.  Maybe heats  _ did  _ affect him outside of waves.)

 

(Maybe it was a Keith thing.)

 

“You don’t have to keep me company, you know,” Keith said.  “You can sleep if you want.”

 

“What makes you think I need to sleep?” Shiro said, promptly yawning.

 

Keith laughed and shrugged.  

 

“I just need a  _ nap _ ,” Shiro insisted.  “Mind if I stay out here?”

 

“You should stay wherever you want, Shiro.  It’s your home,” Keith pointed out. “I can get off the couch.”

 

“No, you can stay,” Shiro said, perhaps a touch too quickly.  The thought of sleeping next to a guarding alpha was far too tempting to pass up.  “As long as you’re comfortable with it,” he added.

 

Keith shrugged again, and Shiro had an immediate crisis.  If he was going to stretch out, that meant either his feet or his head would end up in Keith’s lap.  He’d been sweating again (thanks a ton, heat) so his feet were probably gross, but wouldn’t it be too intimate to lie with his  _ head  _ in Keith’s lap?  

 

Keith unknowingly solved the quandary by moving a pillow to cover his lap and then patted it, indicating Shiro was welcome to cuddle up.  Shiro obeyed without further prompting. His eyes fluttered shut and he sighed when Keith’s hand came to rest on his shoulder.

 

“That feels nice,” he murmured.  “Haven’t had someone touch me during a heat since my grandpa died.”

 

Omegas loved touch during their heats, preferably from their partners but massages or cuddles from their family members went a long way.  Shiro hadn’t realized how much he’d missed it until a tight ball of tenseness unwound in his chest.  

 

“He died after my third heat.  My grandma and my mom were both omegas, so he was really good at foot rubs.  I was scared to do a heat alone after he was gone. I put off my next heat for as long as I could.  Luckily, I met Matt. It was uncomfortable, kinda, having him there, but I was glad I had someone to guard me.  We didn’t touch at all, though. That would have been too weird,” Shiro said, yawning. The ache of his heat was fading, simply because of Keith’s presence.  He felt calm, safe. “This is good.”

 

Keith’s fingers wove into his hair, gently massaging his scalp.  

 

“Go to sleep, Shiro,” he said softly.  

 

“Mkay,” Shiro agreed.  He was asleep in seconds.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


(He loves you.)

 

The thought was tattooed in each beat of his heart.

 

(He loves you.)

 

Keith wasn't ready to believe it.  A handful of days ago, it would have been unthinkable to hope for.  It was too much, too soon, and he hadn’t heard it from Shiro himself.  

 

But.

 

(He loves you.)

 

But Shiro laid his head in Keith’s lap, unafraid, accepting and craving the intimacy Keith longed to give him.  Secrets had spilled from his lips, sad memories he trusted Keith to keep.  

 

(He loves you.)

 

He smelled of nothing but ever increasing contentment.  Every gesture spoke of ease and relaxation, every look shared affection and  _ joy _ .  It was more than happiness or safety from having a friend guard him.  Keith was wanted. His presence actively soothed the omega.  

 

(He loves you.)

 

What was it Matt had said--to wait for Shiro to come to him?

 

“Come to me soon,” he whispered, carding his fingers through Shiro’s hair.  “I want to love you back.”

 

Shiro slept on, smiling softly.  

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


“Shiro?  Shiro, I think you’re in a wave.”

 

Nnngh no shit he was in a wave.  His groin ached with delirious need and slick was seeping out his ass and his cock was OH SHIT he’d fallen asleep in Keith’s lap shitshitshit.

 

“Y-yeah, seems that way,” Shiro laughed awkwardly, springing off the couch.  “Sorry about that. I'll, uh. I'll be back.”

 

Keith's quiet laugh followed him as he rushed off to his bedroom, cheeks burning.  It was not embarrassing to have fallen asleep where he did so much as it was embarrassing to wake up  _ how  _ he did.  He had probably been moaning, and Keith had almost certainly smelled him.  Wonderful. Just how he was hoping his nap would go.

 

Once in his room, he wasted no time in getting situated on his bed, not even bothering to take off his clothes.  It was enough to ruck his shirt up and shove his sweats past his knees--he wasn't enjoying his waves, and he’d rather satiate his body’s needs as quickly as possible and get it over with.

 

He also wasn't making much progress.

 

He was working his knotting dildo deep and fast the way he liked, and he was fisting his cock with just the right twist of his wrist, and yet release remained elusive.  He growled and shifted his hips. He’d been at it for 15 minutes without a single orgasm, and this was getting ridiculous. He was in a goddamn wave and yet: nothing. Maybe he should take a minute break to get his laptop running and find porn.  No, he sighed, that sounded immensely unappealing, partly because he was close and didn’t want to lose his progress, but mostly because he didn’t want to watch some random alpha plugging a hole.

 

He wanted Keith.

 

He  _ needed  _ Keith.

 

Shiro flopped onto his back and huffed a laugh.  He was being idiotic. Keith was  _ right  _ down the hall.  If he actually needed him, he could go get him.  No, his stupid omega brain was just being picky because Keith was so close he could practically smell him.

 

Scratch that.

 

He  _ could  _ smell him.

 

When he turned his head, he could catch a faint whiff of alpha scent on his shirt from where he’d cuddled up to him.

 

Shiro yanked off his shirt and crushed it to his nose.  He groaned and his eyes rolled back. Alpha. Keith.

 

“Fuck, fuck, oh fuck,” Shiro gasped, face buried in his shirt as he desperately pulled on his cock.  “Oh thank  _ god _ ,” he sobbed as his orgasm at last began to crash over him.  He fumbled with his dildo and shoved it deeper, forcing the knot past his rim.  He clenched it gratefully and breathed deep as he rode out the shuddering waves of his release.

 

“Thank fuck,” he muttered.

  
  


Slowly, Shiro came back to himself.  One orgasm was not nearly enough to finish a wave, but it sure as hell helped.  He sat up and immediately whimpered. He felt  _ alone _ , and it took him a few panicky moments to realize it was because he was no longer safely buried in Keith’s scent.  He snatched up the shirt and instantly calmed.

 

Fuck.

 

So much for not needing his alpha.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


The wave had not lasted longer than usual, but it sure as hell felt that way.  Aching and unsatisfied, Shiro stumbled out of his room, nodded to Keith, and headed immediately to his bathroom to indulge in the warmest shower he could tolerate.  Hopefully, it would ease the aching his paltry orgasms could not.  

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Throughout the night and next day, Keith grew increasingly concerned  Shiro’s waves were shorter but they were also more frequent, and Shiro always looked miserable at the end of them.  His alpha brain was extremely displeased with his own performance and pointed out that the omega should be looking  _ more  _ contented, not less.

 

He had messaged his parents once early on to let them know he would be guarding from inside Shiro’s apartment and once the next morning to ask their advice on Shiro’s eating habits--or rather, the lack thereof.  That, at least, had been an easy fix. Krolia had said that omegas were sensitive to acts of caring during their heats, so if Keith  _ made  _ him food, rather than just offering it, Shiro would be very touched and have a hard time refusing it.

 

(Tex added that he could always pout and say he’d feel bad eating in front of Shiro if Shiro didn’t eat, too.  Keith had balked at guilting Shiro into eating--until it worked.)

 

Getting him to drink proved trickier as Keith didn’t have the means to  _ make  _ any kind of beverage, but he had a flash of inspiration and the next time Shiro came out of his bedroom, there was a glass of water already poured and ready next to a plate of food.  It did the trick.  

 

“This is nice,” Shiro mumbled, settling into Keith’s lap the minute he was done with his meal.  

 

Keith hummed his sympathy over the omega’s plight and began petting Shiro’s hair.  It had become their default arrangement.  

 

Shiro sighed deeply and closed his eyes.  “I’m keeping you from sleeping, aren’t I?”

 

“I’m adjusting,” Keith replied.  The first night had been a little rough, but he’d start to sync up with Shiro’s waves.  Mates and family members that cared for omegas in heats tended to sync their sleep to the omega’s needs, so Keith wasn't surprised he’d started to as well, but a small part of him was proud anyway.  

 

(See, I can be a good mate, his alpha brain pointed out.  Keith ignored it.)

 

“Sorry.  I’m betting this isn’t how you were hoping to spend your Earth visit,” Shiro said ruefully.  

 

“Shiro.  All I wanted to do was spend with time you.  This is fine,” Keith insisted. “I’m just sorry you’re miserable.”

 

Shiro peeked up at him, a dopey grin on his face.  “I just wanted to spend time with you, too,” he admitted.  “Thank you for being here.”

 

Keith couldn’t manage to do more than blush and mumble a “You’re welcome” and he floundered a bit before asking what Shiro would like to watch.  

 

“Whatever you want,” Shiro yawned.  “I’m going to nap.”

 

Keith put on the next episode of the documentary he was watching and stroked Shiro’s hair as the omega fell asleep.  He was dying to rub lower and massage the glands on his exposed neck that were clearly swollen and in need of his fingers and tongue, but Keith was a gentleman, goddammit, and he could keep his hands to himself.  

 

It was easier to ignore his more sexual urges than he’d expected--which was  _ not  _ to say it was easy.  It hadn’t been bad at the start, when Shiro was relatively sated and happy.  Sure, the hints of groans from behind his bedroom door had made Keith hurriedly up the volume on the TV to almost painful levels and the heat-scent was driving him mildly insane, but it wasn't anything Keith couldn’t handle.  Now, though, his inner brain was constantly chanting Mate Needs Me Mate Needs Me, and it was getting annoying. Still, it was manageable, and the fact that he’d gotten Shiro to eat and drink and sleep soothed him greatly. There was tangible proof he’d helped the omega, and that was enough.

 

Shiro slept for just under an hour before he woke up with an abrupt groan.  “Knew I wasn't actually done with that wave,” he muttered. “Fuck. Feels like a bad one.”

 

“Are you okay?” Keith asked in alarm.

 

Shiro sat up and groaned again, hand pressed to his stomach.  “Yup. Just tried to pretend I was done when I wasn't.” He sighed and visibly pulled himself together.  “I’ll be back. Eventually.”

 

Keith watched him disappear down the hall, feeling conflicted.  At what point should he just *offer*? But, what if whatever was going wrong with Shiro’s heat was due to the shot and wouldn’t be helped by sex?  It seemed misogynistic to  _ assume  _ his alpha dick would magically fix Shiro’s heat, and Keith had already insulted Shiro’s biology enough for one lifetime.  For a brief moment, he considered consulting his parents, and then instantly banished the thought to the outer reaches of his mind.  There were some things they just didn’t need to know.

 

(It didn’t help matters that Keith’s pants got uncomfortably tight every time Shiro snuggled into his lap.  Even after a shower, he always smelled like heat now, and Keith could only praise the heavens he’d thought to pillow in between the two of them.)

 

A particularly loud groan from Shiro’s bedroom snapped Keith’s resolve-- _ not _ his decision not to offer unless asked, but rather his resolution to not jack off.  The last thing Shiro needed to deal with was alpha arousal and possible guilt over winding Keith up, so Keith had forgone masturbating up to this point.  Plus, concentrating on emanating calming alpha authority had taken up a lot of his focus. But, a man can only hear his hopefully-soon-to-be-mate moan so many times before he’s gotta take care of a few things.  Plus, taking the edge off his own horny needs would make him less likely to pop an inconvenient and embarrassing boner later, right?  

 

Keith shut himself in the bathroom, rapidly shed his clothes, and stepped under the cool spray.  Sure, hot water would be nice, but he wasn't about to use up Shiro’s supply.

 

(Although, come to think of it, didn’t omegas prefer cold water during their heats?  Fuck. He really had no idea what he was doing from start to finish.)

 

Keith wrapped a hand around himself and sighed in relief.  Cold water or not, this was going to be short. All he had to do was think about pressing his tongue to Shiro’s neck, lapping at those swollen glands and listening to Shiro’s sweet little moans as omega scent burst over his nose and mouth.  He’d suck and kiss and tease until Shiro was pressing his hips back into him, whining for more. He’d be so wet--Keith’s fingers were glide in instantly and Shiro would rock back on them, begging for more. Just a few quick thrusts to make sure he really was ready, and then Keith would press his cock in, watch as Shiro’s body eagerly accepted him, practically sucking him deeper as the omega moaned his name.  

 

“Fuck,” Keith gasped, his cock thick and fat and leaking already.  He chased the rest of the fantasy, slamming in hard to Shiro’s tight hole until they locked in place, and----- “Fuuuck,” Keith hissed as his release hit him.  He rubbed furiously as he shot long strips of white onto the floor of the shower, gasping again as his pleasure increased into, into--

 

Fuck.  He’d knotted.

 

“Shitting fucking dammit,” Keith growled, wrapping both hands  _ hard  _ around the base of his cock.  It didn’t matter that Shiro wasn't even in the room--he was around an omega in heat who he was extremely interested in and he’d just jacked off to fantasies about said omega.  Of course he was going to fucking knot.  

 

“Dammit dammit dammit,” Keith chanted.  Knotting  _ hurt  _ when there wasn't something keeping proper pressure on it.   He’d discovered that as a teen when a normal wank had ended with him all but screaming in surprised pain as his first rut took over.  It was just what every kid hoped for: their parents to come barging in to find their child with their hand down their pants and tears in their eyes.  Luckily, they had already bought him alpha toys and the rut hadn’t been terrible (just embarrassing as fuck).  

 

Keith shivered under the cold water, wondering what to do.  He could keep his hands tight enough on his knot that it moved from pain back to pleasure, but he didn’t fancy hanging out in the shower for 15 minutes while he waited for the knot to go down.  Maybe the cold would speed things up…? No, he was not about to waste that much water just because he was an idiot alpha who thought with his cock.  

 

Keith turned off the water, hissed in pain as he tugged on his underwear, and then hobbled into the kitchen.  He yanked open the freezer, found a pack of frozen peas (whatever the fuck those where), and pressed them desperately to his aching cock.

 

“Thank  _ fuck _ ,” he muttered as he sank to the floor.  The ice was already helping.  

 

And then he heard the bedroom door open.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Shiro knew he wasn't being subtle when he rubbed his shoulder against Keith’s thigh every single time he snuggled up on the couch, but goddammit, he was down to three orgasms a wave, and he needed all the scent he could get.  Keith, of course, was being an absolute champion, making him food and giving him all the touch he could ask for.

 

(Okay, maybe not  _ all  _ the touch--but whatever.)

 

Things had gone well past the realm of ridiculous.  He honest-to-god felt more sexually satisfied lying completely still, hands to himself, on the couch next to Keith than he did with his ass in the air, vibrator as high as it would go, growling his frustrations into his sheets by himself.  It was to the point where he’d almost rather suffer out the waves doing nothing in Keith’s lap than try to wrangle an orgasm out of himself on his own. That was how he’d hit upon the idea of using a plug. With a plug, he had a modicum of relief (which is to say, he felt full) and he could still be out of his bedroom and with Keith (which is to say, the plug kept his slick scent situation more or less under control).

 

Sadly, the plug could only help so much, so he still found himself resorting to the bedroom every few hours to desperately fight off as much of a wave as he could.  That was how he woke up with agonizing cramps, and he immediately cursed himself out for pretending he’d finished his last wave. He mumbled his apologies to Keith (who once again was being a perfect angel) and shuffled off to his room.  He’d barely managed to close the door before he had his sweats off and began to fumble for the base off the plug. He groaned in want just as much as in relief as the plug stretched out his rim and came free. Panting, he stared down at it.

 

It was not small.

 

It felt like a goddamn marble.

 

Shiro wondered vaguely if the problem was he was simply too large to use standard omega heat plugs or if he was doomed to find no true relief that didn’t come from Keith.

 

(Coming from Keith.  Hah. Puns.) 

 

Shiro wiped his hand over his face and faced the reality of admitting defeat.  The mere idea of trying to jerk off again was unappealing to the point of nausea.  He sat down on his bed and considered his options: suffer or confess. Being perfectly honest, the first option still had a lot going for it, namely that it didn’t involve giving Keith the impression that he was desperately horny and only wanted him for his body.  But, he had the rest of his life to prove that he wanted  _ everything  _ from Keith, every moment and word and thought.  Still, not a good way to start.  

 

Shiro chuckled to himself.  Not a good way to start? They’d already had a terrible start and look where they were, five years later: fast friends and constantly flooded with the need to make the other person as happy and content as possible.  Yeah. They could handle this.

 

(He was a fucking idiot to ever think otherwise.)

 

Suddenly, Shiro heard the bathroom door open and slam shut followed by the sound of someone rummaging frantically in the kitchen.  Alarmed, he pulled his sweats back up and headed to the kitchen.

 

Keith was there, slumped on the floor, wearing nothing but boxers that were clearly straining with an erection that was insufficiently hidden by, of all things, a bag of frozen peas.  

 

His brain had absolutely no follow up to this situation.

 

“IknottedI’msosorry,” Keith blurted out.  “I-I-I jacked off in the shower and I knotted and it hurt so I grabbed frozen stuff and I’m so sorry I swear I’m not a pervert you just smell really nice and this was the first time I  _ swear  _ and I won’t do it again and god I hope I haven’t made you uncomfortable  _ I’m so fucking sorry _ .”

 

Shiro slowly shut the door to his freezer and sat down.

 

“Keith,” he said, his face blank, “do you have a pea kink?”  

 

“Wha…?”  Keith said, baffled.

 

Shiro waved his hand.  “Bad pun. Don’t worry about it.”

 

Keith’s face went through a complicated series of half emotions.  “You’re not...mad?”

 

“Oh, Keith,” Shiro said gently.  He read for Keith’s hand and squeezed, thumbing over the back of it in a soothing gesture.  “Why would I be mad?”

 

“Well I mean...I’m just supposed to be here for guarding, not trying to take advantage of a heat or something,” Keith mumbled looking away.

 

(But he didn’t let go of Shiro’s hand.)

 

“Sweetheart,” Shiro said softly, “look at me.”

 

Slowly, and with a great deal of blushing, Keith finally dared to peek up at Shiro’s face.

 

( _ Fuck _ he was cute.)

 

“I’m not mad at all.  I’m flattered. If anything, I’m a little disappointed you didn’t need to before now, because I,” he stopped himself short and bit his lip, taking a second to regather his courage.  “I was hoping that, after all of this, we could court.”

 

“Yeah?” Keith asked hopefully, his hand squeezing Shiro’s so tightly it almost hurt.

 

“Yeah,” Shiro said.  “Is that okay?”

 

Keith straightened up.  “Takashi Shirogane,” he announced, “I have very little to offer, but I promise to always place your safety and happiness above my own.  I will do everything in my power to make your life the one you wish for.” He bowed his head. “It would be the honor of a lifetime if you agreed to be my mate.”

 

Keith froze and then looked up in terror.

 

“W-we can c-court, I mean.  I’m sorry. I didn’t m-mean to skip anything you w-want to--”

 

“Is it okay if my answer is ‘yes’ anyway?” Shiro asked shyly.  

 

Keith’s eyes filled with tears that he hurriedly smeared away.  “Yeah. Yeah, I want that. I want it so badly, Shiro. I love you so much.  I think I loved you from the second I saw you. I want you to be my mate and I want to be yours and I want really, really,  _ really  _ want to kiss you right now.  Is that okay?”

 

The answer to that was definitely yes, and Shiro was happy to prove it.  

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Between the ice and the magic of pure mortification, Keith’s knot had completely resolved itself and he was free to kiss Shiro with a passion that demanded both hands.  As mind blowing as their first kiss had been, it was nothing compared to the hungry way Shiro pulled at him, insistently tugging him closer until they collapsed on the floor, and even then he did not let go.

 

“Is this.  Okay?” Keith gasped between kissed.  “Do you. Want. To wait. Until after your heat?” he finished in a rush.

 

Shiro whined and fisting Keith’s shower-soaked hair, dragging his mouth to his neck.  “Please god don’t stop,” he begged. “Need you so badly.”  

 

Keith groaned as he  _ finally  _ got to taste Shiro’s neck and saturate himself in the omega’s scent.  Fuck, he had never known how perfect a moment could be. He found everything there he wanted to know, everything his alpha self had been dying to learn.  He licked and sucked as Shiro writhed beneath him and he learned the secrets of his heat. He could taste how badly Shiro had been lacking him, how urgently he needed to be pounded and filled.  

 

“I’ve got you, baby,” he promised as he pulled away.  “I’ll give you exactly what you need. Trust me, sweetheart,” he added as Shiro whimpered when he sat up, mourning the loss of his alpha over him.  “Let me take you to bed.”

 

“I guess I’d rather not take my first knot on my kitchen floor,” Shiro grunted ruefully as Keith helped him up.  

 

First knot.  Possessive pride flared in Keith’s chest and he had to bite several kisses from Shiro’s lips before dragging him to the bedroom.  “You’re mine,” he hissed as he pressed Shiro toward the bed.  

 

He was momentarily mortified with himself because hadn’t this whole thing started with him accidentally accusing Shiro of  _ belonging  _ to someone?  But Shiro groaned in response and fell back with his eyes rolling.  

 

“Fuck, yes, make me yours, alpha,” he gasped.  

 

Well, that was some pretty strong permission to indulge in his possessive instincts.  

 

“No one else’s.  Mine,” Keith demanded.  He framed Shiro against the bed with his body and the omega moaned.

 

“Yours, yours, always yours,” Shiro cried.  “Please, Keith.”

 

Keith growled his approval and helped Shiro frantically worm out of his clothes.  It was wonderfully feral--right up until Shiro laughed at him for being so wet from his aborted shower.

 

“You’re pretty wet, too,” Keith smirked, running his fingers up Shiro’s thighs and playing over his slick hole.

 

“Fuck,” Shiro panted.  “C’mon. Get these off,” he said, tugging at Keith’s boxers.  “Need you to fuck me.”

 

Keith quickly obliged Shiro and pulled off his boxers.  They were now both fully naked, and Keith’s eyes burned as he took in the gorgeous man spread out before him.

 

“Oh thank god,” Shiro said, staring at Keith’s cock.  “I was afraid the ice would have wilted everything.”

 

“How could I not get hard again after tasting you?” Keith challenged, proving his point by sucking loudly at Shiro’s throat.  “Might take me a while to knot again, but that just means I can fuck you longer.”

 

“Oh god,” Shiro groaned.  “Yes. Fuck. Need that.” He spread his legs wide and looked up at Keith with pleading eyes.  “Hurts so bad. Need you, alpha.”

 

Keith shivered.  “Yeah, yeah lemme help you, baby,” he said.  He took a moment to gather himself before nudging Shiro’s thighs a little wider as he settled between them and slipped two fingers into his hole.  “You’re so wet already,” he murmured.  

 

“I just--ahh!--just had a plug in.  I’m ready,” Shiro promised as he bucked back on Keith’s fingers.  “Keith,  _ please _ .  Make me yours.”  

 

Keith pulled his fingers out almost reluctantly before licking them with relish.  “You taste so fucking good, baby. Gonna lick you clean for hours. Later,” he added with a pleased grin at Shiro’s worried whimper.  “Right now, I’m going to fill you up until you’re satisfied.”

 

By all rights, Keith should have been nervous, embarrassed, and generally Freaking Out.  He was, after all, a virgin in bed with the man he’d been in love with for years. Heat hormones, however, had their uses, and instinct provided him with both instructions and confidence, and he brought his cock to Shiro’s hole with something like authority.  This was his omega’s body, and it was his duty to provide it with everything it needed.  

 

Shiro squirmed against him and groaned gratefully as Keith’s cock finally breached his rim.

 

“Yesss,” he hissed as Keith slid deeper.  He wrapped his thighs around Keith’s waist and held him as close as possible.  “God, I needed you so badly. Couldn’t come without smelling you.”

 

“Fuck,” Keith muttered, momentarily overwhelmed with how turned on he was.  

 

Shiro took advantage of Keith’s slight pause to wind his hand in his hair and yank him down for a messy kiss.  “Fuck me,” he gasped, all need and challenge in one breath.

 

Keith settled his hands on Shiro’s hips and hitched them up higher, using the leverage to pound down into Shiro’s tight, slick hole.  He set a merciless pace, thrusting as deep and fast as he could, instinct telling him that Shiro was desperate for release.  

 

“Oh god yes--fuck--like that, Keith, fuck--yes,” Shiro cried.  He scrambled for purchase on the sheets, one hand still clenching tight in Keith’s hair.  “Ohh  _ fuck _ \--yes!--Keith!”

 

Shiro pressed back hard as he came, back arching off the bed.  He clenched Keith’s cock greedily, and Keith was sure if he hadn’t just knotted he’d have finished right then.  He slowed his thrusts, intending to ease Shiro through his orgasm, but the omega shouted in protest. 

 

“No!  N-no, don’t stop,” Shiro gasped.  “Keep fucking me til you knot.”

 

“ _ Fuck _ ,” Keith breathed reverently.  He gripped Shiro’s hips in a bruising hold and thrust brutally hard, his omega wailing pleasure-soaked encouragement all the while.  He’d barely gone a minute before Shiro came again, shouting his name.  

 

“More, Keith, god please more I need it,” he cried.  He blinked up helplessly at Keith, tears in his eyes, and Keith growled.

 

“Anything,” he promised.  “Anything you need.”

 

Keith fucked him through a third orgasm that left him limp and whimpering, but when he eased off his pace, Shiro’s eyes snapped open and he wordlessly mouthed “more”.  God, that was almost enough to finish Keith right there, and he moaned as he hitched Shiro higher and bent forward so he could lick and suck at Shiro’s neck as thrust. Pleasure-weak arms clutched him desperately and that was enough--he came shouting Shiro’s name as his knot locked them together.

 

~*~*~

  
  


It was several minutes before Shiro stirred.  “I love you,” he said quietly before laughing softly.  “Can’t believe I didn’t tell you that earlier.”

 

“I was trying to keep you preoccupied,” Keith smiled fondly.  He sighed happily and snuggled closer, tucking his head under Shiro’s chin.

 

“When do you want to bite?” Shiro asked, playing with Keith’s hair before sliding his hand further down to rub at the base of his neck.  

 

Keith lifted his head.  “Now?” he asked with shy hopefulness.

 

They did.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


The next three days were highly productive and highly satisfactory, but they were not without their small challenges.  For instance: shower sex is not nearly as fun as advertised and, although it is extremely enjoyable, table sex is not advisable when there is the potential for knotting.  Couch sex and wall sex were both big hits. Keith was able to spend luxurious amounts of time playing with his mate’s nipples and glands and found that he could, as he’d hoped, make Shiro come from that alone.  It was a time of mutually enlightening discovery.

 

Just as good as the sex, though, was the time spent cuddling.  It allowed them both to touch the way they’d longed to and gently explore the feel and scent of each other.  It also allowed them to have a few important discussions, the main one being: what were they going to do next?  A few messages to Krolia, Tex, and Kolivan were exchanged, and they had their answer.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Shiro and Keith entered the formal dining room of the Garrison, hand in hand.  Matt stood up to whoop and cheer, which was embarrassing but somehow less embarrassing than when the Galra stood up to applaud them.  Keith ended up tucking into Shiro’s side to hide just how hard he was blushing, and Shiro dropped an apologetic kiss to the top of his head.  

 

Krolia and Tex came over to give them congratulatory hugs, and Admiral Sanda followed cautiously behind.

 

“Lieutenant Shirogane,” she said, “I had not heard from medical that you were cleared for duty.”

 

“I don’t need to be,” Shiro said with a breezy grin.  “I have a mate.” He grinned down at Keith who was giving Admiral Sanda the kind of stare most alphas could only dream of emulating.  

 

Admiral Sanda’s eyebrows shot up and her eyes darted from Shiro’s neck to Keith’s.  “I see congratulations are in order. Does this mean you are retiring?”

 

“Not at all.  I’m getting a promotion,” Shiro said, grinning wider.

 

“I have use for a pilot of Shirogane’s skills, omega or not,” Kolivan said, walking up to the small group.  “I extended the invitation immediately on learning that he had mated with my godson. He will make a satisfactory addition to our crew.  I apologize that our gain is your loss.” He bowed deeply.

 

“Not at all,” Admiral Sanda said, returning the bow.  “I believe that it will be a very good fit. I wish you luck, Takashi Shirogane.  Thank you for your years of service.”

 

Shiro was touched by the unexpected wish, and he was still further touched when the sentiment was repeated multiple times throughout the evening.  His efforts had not gone unnoticed, and even if his peers never saw him with the full respect he should have earned, they did not dismiss what he had accomplished and they were genuinely happy for him and sorry to see him go.  It was a tiring mix of bittersweet feelings, and Shiro was overwhelmed before the end of the evening.

 

“The Galra stayed an extra day for me, didn’t they?” Shiro asked Keith quietly once they were finally able to have a moment for themselves.  Keith had slipped off to speak with his parents and Kolivan for a few minutes, and Shiro knew he was checking in to see how soon they needed to be ready to go.

 

“They stayed for  _ us _ , Shiro.  You’re part of our tribe now,” Keith said.  “They’re going to be here for another week so you have time to get your things together and say your goodbyes.” 

 

Shiro blinked back years.  “Wow. And here you said you didn’t have anything to offer me.”

 

Keith flushed with pride and embarrassment, and Shiro decided to kiss him in front of the Galra and the whole Garrison, scandal be damned.

 

(Naturally, Matt whooped again.)

 

It was the start of a new life, and Shiro already knew he was going to love it.  

 

And that was how Takashi Shirogane mated with the rudest alpha he ever met and spent his life exploring the stars with him and their many, many alien babies.  The end! <3

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this story was *going* to just be a lil tweet thread fic for fun on Twitter and then, uh, it grew. To over 21k lmao. Oops??? I had a great time, though!! I really enjoyed making tiny!alpha and big!omega for these two.
> 
> I turned up Shiro’s Disaster Levels to 100 and it was fun. Shiro is producing crazy horny hormones and meanwhile, Dumb Keef zeroes on “Shiro smells nervous” and that’s all he focuses on. *Everyone else, staring at them*: Their collective IQ is 0.
> 
> One of the fun things about posting this initially as a Twitter thread was that people commented with fun questions and suggestions and it helped me fill out some random lore, like Keith jumping like a scared cat the first time he heard a toaster pop.
> 
> I’m living for Tex being a very enthusiastic father-in-law and for him loving baseball. The Blades eventually get super into it which surprises and confuses him but ultimately fills him with joy. They form their own team and watch Earth games whenever they can. Between that and his wonderful son and beautiful wife, Tex is definitely living his best life (suck it, canon).
> 
> Kolivan’s omega mate is an unnamed OC. She is Super Smol and he loves her very much. She has very fluffy ears that he finds unreasonably cute. That’s probably the first thing he said to her. “Your fluffy ears are unreasonably cute,” he said, very gravely. Lil omega was totally lost on him from that moment on. They are kind of stupidly in love. 
> 
> I was going to have Keith drop to both knees to propose and he’d be like “I did a human thing!” and Shiro would be thinking “Why on /both/ knees? Must be a Galra thing” but then I thought of the frozen peas idea and that was too much fun to pass up.
> 
> You know how abo fics always talk about alphas rumbling? Yeah, I have no fucking clue what that sounds like. Any headcanons? XD I assume it’s like a deeper, rougher sort of purr…???
> 
> Shiro ends up being the only omega the Marmora are always willing to bring to a new planet. He stays in their main ship, but since they discover he is very good at hand to hand combat, no one is worried about him not being safe. 
> 
> Also--the Galra don’t take bodyguards of any kind because they’re all trained in combat, exception being some of the omegas and other people that don’t come on their “first visits” but they always have trained Galra nearby.
> 
> At some point, Shiro and Keith stay on Earth for a while to help the Garrison set up their first diplomatic envoy that goes out to other planets. Enter Lance, Pidge, and Hunk! Also, Allura and the other Alteans are alive in this reality and everyone gets to be friends. ^3^
> 
> The way I’m thinking of the Galra in this fic is that there are multiple different Galra factions, so Zarkon etc are in an unrelated group. Also, no one is overly evil and Lotor had a loving childhood. Please imagine baby Lotor getting read to and tucked into bed omg. ;^; Someone please love Lotor, I’m begging you!!! Smol boi. 
> 
> Anyone read my Krolia/Papa Kogane fic and recognize the “pretty girl” bit? ;^; 
> 
> Btw, I wrote this fic in 15 days. Jfc. It feels a bit small and sorta disjointed to me, but then I never really had it planned out, lmao, so I guess I should give myself a break. 
> 
> Next is more Sugar AU!!!!! I’m getting close to the next chapter for that one. Gotta add some more smut first. :3333

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me and my shenanigans on Twitter! @decidedlysarah


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